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SUNEMPLOYMENT

Follow Towie star Kirk Norcross’s example and start a career as drain engineer

TOWIE regular Kirk Norcross swapped his showbiz life for a new job unblocking drains – and says he has never been happier.

Now you can take the plunge and follow him. Demand for drain engineers has rocketed.

 Towie's Kirk Norcross swapped a showbiz career for drain engineering - and he's never been happier
Towie's Kirk Norcross swapped a showbiz career for drain engineering - and he's never been happierCredit: Ian Whittaker - The Sun

The job has key worker status and firms countrywide are busy recruiting staff.

Among the biggest is Metro Rod, with 44 depots across the UK. The company is now looking for drainage engineers and apprentices.

Experienced engineers need to be 18 or over with a full driving licence to apply. Apprentices can start aged 16.

Qualified drain experts can earn up to £30,000 a year and there is scope to start your own business.

 Drainage engineer Noel Hale, 55, says it's rewarding to be a key worker during this difficult time
Drainage engineer Noel Hale, 55, says it's rewarding to be a key worker during this difficult time

Noel Hale, pictured, swapped a job down the mines for a job down the drains.

The drainage engineer, 55, from Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, said: “At the moment, being a key worker, it’s very rewarding to know we’re playing a part in helping the British public. To anyone who wants to provide a service, I’d recommend this role.

“The work we do is crucial to the country running smoothly. If you want a career with new challenges every day, then being a drainage engineer is for you.”

Metro Rod managing director Peter Molloy said: “I have seen drainage engineers become business owners and those that started in administration go on to become senior managers.

“Whether you want to be the best drainage engineer in the business, to progress on to a management role, or to ultimately own your own business, we can help you by delivering professional qualifications.”

How to apply

To apply for qualified roles, visit . For an apprenticeship, send your name, date of birth, location and a few lines explaining what you have to offer and why you would like to join, to [email protected]

Nuclear option

NUCLEAR engineering firm Assystem is looking to fill hundreds of jobs on new projects to help the country deliver net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Roles include electricians, project managers and design engineers, alongside graduate jobs.

Applicants for graduate roles need at least a 2:1 in any engineering degree since 2018.

Those who are successful will get access to leading nuclear programmes in the UK and across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

The firm is also running its programme to encourage more women to apply for the key roles.

  • Apply at .

jobspot

HIT the road for a new career. There are hundreds of key worker logistics and driving jobs available at .


Inventive award

HOME from uni and twiddling your thumbs? Then try using your skills to win a £30k prize.

The annual James Dyson Award is open to entries from design and engineering students to create a new invention which solves a problem.

 Sir James Dyson with one of his company's inventions - a bladeless fan
Sir James Dyson with one of his company's inventions - a bladeless fanCredit: PA:Press Association

One in five past winners have gone on to successfully commercialise their ideas. This year there is a second prize for designs focusing on sustainability. Past winners include a water-cleaning robot and home-compostable plastic made from algae, as an alternative to single-use plastic.

Inventor James Dyson said: “Each year we have been struck by the ingenuity and conscience of young people to solve really big problems.”

  • Apply at .

jobspot

ORBIS Education & Care urgently want support workers, catering assistants, learning support assistants in the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff. Phone 02922 671855.


Picture home as your spa

STRUGGLING with working from home? TV mental health expert Mark Simmonds has a new way to think about it.

Mark, who is also the author of Breakdown And Repair, has worked at home for 20 years.

He says: “Working at home in self-isolation sounds as if you are depriving yourself, doesn’t it? Making sacrifices, being miserable. But what about if you were working in a ‘self-isolation spa’?”

Here he shows you how to create your own little oasis.

  1. It’s not a spare room, it’s your private office. Put family photographs on the wall, plants on the window sill. Littering your desk with colourful pens and Post-it notes is an instant mood-lifter.
  2. See the kitchen as a Starbucks. There may be plenty of buzz and movement all around, but nobody is disturbing or distracting you.
  1. The bedroom is your escape gym. A soft carpet, a wardrobe and a bed frame mean you can carry out 25 different exercises – while only listening to songs you like.
  2. It’s not your bathroom, it’s your brain and body massage parlour. Have a steaming hot bath every night with a lighted candle and the gentle sound of the radio. Add in a refreshing shower in the morning to wake you up.
  3. It’s not your garden, it’s your miracle of nature. Soak in the sunshine, watch the flowers blossom, listen to the birds.
Dyson invents ‘purifier headphones’ that blow ‘clean air’ into your mouth – and still play music
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