{"id":33075,"date":"2025-07-09T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/?p=33075"},"modified":"2025-11-13T09:57:04","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T09:57:04","slug":"true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/","title":{"rendered":"TRUE Story: Apprentice Mandeep Singh is Building Towards a Net-Zero Future"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

When Mandeep Singh applied online for an electrical apprenticeship in 2022, he had no idea he\u2019d soon become an award-winning face of Scotland\u2019s net-zero future. Today, Mandeep is a third-year electrician apprentice working in the Energy and Renewables Division at OCS, following its acquisition of FES Support Services in December 2024,<\/a> where he\u2019s helping deliver large-scale solar and sustainable energy projects across the country.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOriginally, I applied as a standard electrician apprentice,\u201d says Mandeep. \u201cBut in the interview, they offered me a spot on the renewables side, solar panels, battery systems, all that stuff. It just felt like that\u2019s where the future is, so I said yes straight away.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From College to Career<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Before joining OCS, Mandeep completed an 18-week electrical pre-apprenticeship course at West College Scotland. That hands-on foundation, paired with a strong portfolio, helped him stand out.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always had a passion for electrical work,\u201d he explains. \u201cThat course gave me a proper introduction to the trade and helped me get here.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear that the decision paid off. In 2024, Mandeep was named Scotland\u2019s\u202f<\/span>Net Zero Apprentice of the Year<\/span><\/b>\u202f<\/span><\/a>at the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards; an achievement he describes as one of the most rewarding moments of his career so far.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t even know I was being nominated,\u201d he says. \u201cA team member came up one day and said, \u2018I\u2019m putting you forward.\u2019 I was really grateful. We went up to Aberdeen for the finals with some of the directors, and I ended up winning it. It was a huge moment for me.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

\n \n \n \n \"A\n <\/picture>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
\n

Powering Change, One Project at a Time<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

A typical day for Mandeep involves the installation of containment systems, associated AC & DC cabling and the commissioning of renewable energy projects under the guidance of his tradespersons. The enormity of the projects Mandeep is involved in means OCS\u2019s customers are making significant savings on their energy bills, an environmental benefit Mandeep is passionate about and proud of.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, I\u2019m working on a smaller project, only 270 panels,\u201d he laughs. \u201cBut the biggest one I was part of had thousands. It was freezing cold, but the impact was huge.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His apprenticeship has taken him far beyond traditional electrical training. From solar to hydro turbines and battery storage, Mandeep is learning fast and adapting to the ever-evolving renewables sector.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started, I didn\u2019t know much about renewables. But now, I\u2019ve picked up so much,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a standard electrician role anymore. It\u2019s bigger than that.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Team Effort<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Mandeep credits much of his growth to the people around him: the various tradespersons he works under, and senior management who encourage his growth and support him on his journey through his apprenticeship.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI face challenges all the time, but I\u2019ve got a strong team behind me. I can call anyone and get help straight away. That support makes all the difference.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

\n \n \n \n <\/g>\n <\/svg>\n
\n

\n As a business, we\u2019re passionate about growing careers through apprenticeships. People like Mandeep show us exactly what\u2019s possible when we invest in young people with purpose. <\/p>\n

\n
\n

\n Daniel Dickson <\/p>\n

\n CEO of OCS UK and Ireland <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

\n

Why Apprenticeships Matter<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Through recent acquisitions and business growth, OCS has strengthened its position in hard services. Mandeep is a prime example of the kind of talent driving that future. His journey aligns with OCS\u2019s commitment to apprenticeships as a critical pipeline for skills, sustainability, and social impact.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a business, we\u2019re passionate about growing careers through apprenticeships,\u201d says Daniel Dickson, CEO of OCS UK and Ireland. \u201cPeople like Mandeep show us exactly what\u2019s possible when we invest in young people with purpose.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking Ahead<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Mandeep\u2019s sights are set on completing his apprenticeship next year and continuing to work on large-scale renewable projects, potentially even abroad.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to keep learning, take on bigger jobs, and see where this career takes me,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s always something new around the corner in this field, and I want to be part of that change.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His advice to other young people considering apprenticeships is to go for it.<\/span> \u201cIf you\u2019re interested in renewables, don\u2019t hold back. The skills you learn, both hands-on and theoretical, will stay with you. It\u2019s 100% worth it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Mandeep Singh applied online for an electrical apprenticeship in 2022, he had no idea he\u2019d soon become an award-winning face of Scotland\u2019s net-zero future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":10000022814,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[297,291,54,422],"tags":[214,53],"country":[],"class_list":["post-33075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy-services","category-hard-services","category-our-people","category-true-stories","tag-hard-services","tag-our-people"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMandeep Singh is Building Towards a Net Zero Future<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Mandeep Singh applied online for an electrical apprenticeship in 2022, he had no idea he\u2019d become a face of Scotland\u2019s net-zero future.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"TRUE Story: Apprentice Mandeep Singh is Building Towards a Net-Zero Future\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Mandeep Singh applied online for an electrical apprenticeship in 2022, he had no idea he\u2019d become a face of Scotland\u2019s net-zero future.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OCS - UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-09T08:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-13T09:57:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"lawrenceriches\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"lawrenceriches\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"lawrenceriches\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1746bdec5f97a30eeecab411cc9b5465\"},\"headline\":\"TRUE Story: Apprentice Mandeep Singh is Building Towards a Net-Zero Future\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-09T08:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-13T09:57:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":11,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ucarecdn.com\\\/5307bc63-62aa-438c-945e-92727ae53bb2\\\/\",\"keywords\":[\"Hard Services\",\"Our People\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Energy Services\",\"Hard Services\",\"Our People\",\"TRUE Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\\\/\",\"name\":\"Mandeep Singh is Building Towards a Net Zero Future\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ucarecdn.com\\\/5307bc63-62aa-438c-945e-92727ae53bb2\\\/\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-09T08:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-13T09:57:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1746bdec5f97a30eeecab411cc9b5465\"},\"description\":\"When Mandeep Singh applied online for an electrical apprenticeship in 2022, he had no idea he\u2019d become a face of Scotland\u2019s net-zero future.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ucarecdn.com\\\/5307bc63-62aa-438c-945e-92727ae53bb2\\\/\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ucarecdn.com\\\/5307bc63-62aa-438c-945e-92727ae53bb2\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"TRUE Story: Apprentice Mandeep Singh is Building Towards a Net-Zero Future\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/\",\"name\":\"OCS - UK\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ocs.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1746bdec5f97a30eeecab411cc9b5465\",\"name\":\"lawrenceriches\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mandeep Singh is Building Towards a Net Zero Future","description":"When Mandeep Singh applied online for an electrical apprenticeship in 2022, he had no idea he\u2019d become a face of Scotland\u2019s net-zero future.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"TRUE Story: Apprentice Mandeep Singh is Building Towards a Net-Zero Future","og_description":"When Mandeep Singh applied online for an electrical apprenticeship in 2022, he had no idea he\u2019d become a face of Scotland\u2019s net-zero future.","og_url":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/","og_site_name":"OCS - UK","article_published_time":"2025-07-09T08:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-13T09:57:04+00:00","author":"lawrenceriches","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"lawrenceriches","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/"},"author":{"name":"lawrenceriches","@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/1746bdec5f97a30eeecab411cc9b5465"},"headline":"TRUE Story: Apprentice Mandeep Singh is Building Towards a Net-Zero Future","datePublished":"2025-07-09T08:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-13T09:57:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/"},"wordCount":11,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ucarecdn.com\/5307bc63-62aa-438c-945e-92727ae53bb2\/","keywords":["Hard Services","Our People"],"articleSection":["Energy Services","Hard Services","Our People","TRUE Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/","url":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/","name":"Mandeep Singh is Building Towards a Net Zero Future","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ucarecdn.com\/5307bc63-62aa-438c-945e-92727ae53bb2\/","datePublished":"2025-07-09T08:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-13T09:57:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/1746bdec5f97a30eeecab411cc9b5465"},"description":"When Mandeep Singh applied online for an electrical apprenticeship in 2022, he had no idea he\u2019d become a face of Scotland\u2019s net-zero future.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ucarecdn.com\/5307bc63-62aa-438c-945e-92727ae53bb2\/","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ucarecdn.com\/5307bc63-62aa-438c-945e-92727ae53bb2\/"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/true-story-apprentice-mandeep-singh-is-building-towards-a-net-zero-future\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"TRUE Story: Apprentice Mandeep Singh is Building Towards a Net-Zero Future"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/","name":"OCS - UK","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/1746bdec5f97a30eeecab411cc9b5465","name":"lawrenceriches"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33075"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33453,"href":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33075\/revisions\/33453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33075"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=33075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}