Owen Phillips, carpentry student with Coleg Sir Gâr who won a Highly Commended certificate in IOC’s first ever Third Year Student Awards, has started his own business and has no shortage of work. “I finished my apprenticeship with a local building firm in July and have been working ever since, some of it part-time for the builder and some of it working on my own account. I’ve got so much work coming in it’s amazing,” he says.
We asked him how he advertises for business, being a new start-up: “To be honest I haven’t had to think about advertising. I get most of my work by word of mouth. It started with a few friends and family who had seen my work and it’s grown from there,” Owen relates.
“I had a range of experience during my apprenticeship from working on timber frame houses to smaller jobs. I got good help from college whilst there and the awards and competitions I went in for gave me a lot of confidence. Now I have an award from the IOC as well!”
What is it like working for yourself, we asked: “It is a bit more hassle in some ways,” Owen says, “but it does mean I can choose the work I want to do and still have a bit of time to do other things I enjoy such as helping out with the sheep on the family farm. I’ve been lucky enough to get so much carpentry work given to me that I hardly know where to start sometimes!”
We wish Owen continuing good fortune with both his business and with developing his skills even further throughout his career.