How Alexandra achieved her Gold Award as an apprentice with British Gas

After leaving high school when she was 17 Alexandra joined the British Gas Service and Repair Engineer apprenticeship scheme. She has been helping customers to keep their homes warm ever since.

Alexandra was nervous about doing her Gold DofE,- a compulsory part of any British Gas apprenticeship. However, she found it has helped her to become the confident young woman that she is today.

“Achieving my Gold DofE Award really was life changing for me and I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to take part. It has allowed me to gain many different life skills at a young age, which I wouldn’t have gained had I not been selected as a British Gas apprentice.”

“The reason I chose the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society for the Volunteering section of my DofE programme was because my brother was diagnosed with the illness when he was only twenty. Through volunteering with the local branch I learned about MS and the struggles people living with MS have. It gave me a deeper understanding of how his life can be. I now know he can, and does live an independent and fulfilled life.”

Through her continued support for the Charity, Alexandra was nominated for a MS Young Person of the Year Award. She also received a Millennium Volunteer Award for 200 hours of volunteering, which was presented by the First Minister for Scotland.

Alexandra added: “I feel all these experiences have helped with my career development and have made me a better engineer. I can talk freely to my customers with confidence and can empathise with the difficulties people have in their lives. This is important as an engineer because I work in people’s homes and come into contact with a lot of elderly and disabled people. First and foremost the customer must have trust in you.”