Why an apprenticeship at SES could be your best career move
This National Apprenticeship Week, our Executive Managing Director, Rob Clifford, is reflecting on his career starting out as an apprentice electrician, to becoming the leader of a business of nearly 900 people.
2026 marks my 32nd year working in the construction and engineering industry. With SES now a £500m+ business, the scale of my responsibilities has grown considerably, yet the fundamentals never change.
I left school at 16 to start work as an apprentice electrician, and for six years, I learned the trade – on the tools, in all weathers, doing jobs that teach you more than any classroom ever could. My supervisor wouldn’t let me move to the next stage until I could rewire a whole house, test it and prove it worked. His advice was simple: if you can do that, you’ll always have work.
He wasn’t wrong, but my apprenticeship taught me more than a trade – it taught me how to solve problems under pressure and gave me a work ethic that has stuck with me throughout my career.
I’ve gone from apprentice to supervisor, site manager, project manager, senior project manager, operations director and now Executive Managing Director of SES. I believe that apprenticeships aren’t a backup plan, but a launchpad. You earn from day one, gain real qualifications and get hands on experience that genuinely matters.
Roles of the future
Apprenticeships at SES aren’t just for those who want to be electricians or engineers. We’re moving fast as a Digital First business. That means we need people with skills in technology, data, project management and business operations as much as we need the next generation of trades. Whether you see yourself on site or behind a screen, there’s a pathway for you here.
What matters most is the culture you join. At SES, we talk about reimagining places for people to thrive, and that includes for our own people.
Our apprentices aren’t filing a role but building a career within a structured progression programme, supported by experienced professionals who genuinely want you to succeed. You’ll work towards recognised qualifications and gain hands-on learning working on live projects, solving real problems, and developing skills that employers value in practice, not just theory.
And the projects our apprentices work on have real purpose. From data centres that power the digital economy to sustainable infrastructure that’s making Net Zero Carbon goals reality, we’re delivering major developments across the length and breadth of the UK. These are places and systems that will shape the country for decades to come, that you can help tangibly create.
Limitless opportunities
Progression here is real and I’m living proof of that. Many others across SES have climbed the ladder too, whether through site roles, technical specialisms, digital careers or operational leadership, often achieving degrees or even doctorates, all supported by the business. We know there is more than one route to building a career and we never want to limit how far you can go.
That’s why National Apprenticeship Week means something personal to me. An apprenticeship didn’t just give me a trade; it gave me a career, a work ethic and the confidence to take opportunities when they came. It opened doors I didn’t even know existed at 16.
Right now, our industry is full of opportunity as we build smarter and more sustainably, with technology acting as a catalyst for real progression. We desperately need fresh thinkers and curious minds ready to shape what comes next.
If you’re thinking about your next step, ask yourself what you want from a career: security, good earning potential, meaningful work and a clear path ahead. Our industry can offer it all and if you choose SES, you will be choosing a place which wants you to not only succeed, but thrive.
