In 1971, around 90 school leavers from across the East Midlands embarked on apprenticeships with the East Midlands Electricity Board training centre. Now, 50 years later, they have been invited to a reunion to mark the milestone.
As reported by the Northamptonshire Telegraph, Brian O’Brien, a trainee from Warwickshire, is keen to contact the East Midlands Electricity Board 1971 apprentice intake from Northamptonshire.
Brian says, “September 6, 2021 marks a significant milestone in our lives as it will be 50 years since most of us met for the first time. We were all recent school leavers setting out on the next great chapter of our lives.
“About 90 of us from across the East Midlands Electricity Board region converged on the Wollaton, Nottingham, Training Centre to begin what, for many of us, would be a complete working life in the electrical industry.
“Most of us turned up suitcases in hand to be put up in ‘digs’ for 40 weeks of that first year, travelling home for weekends to return the following Monday morning.
“Naturally friendships were made and some great experiences shared.
“At the end of that first year we all returned to our respective, district offices, to continue our hands-on training in our chosen trade with those that we would be working with on a daily basis.
“The next three years we would return to Wollaton for specific training associated with our trade and those first-year friendships would be resurrected each year.
“The training was second to none and it was such a good experience. We’d like to see as many of the ‘lads’ as possible.”
Brian is hoping to see as many of the former apprentices from the Northamptonshire area attend the reunion in Nottingham on September 3, 2021.
For more information, head to the I Worked At East Midlands Electricity Board Facebook group.
