Portsmouth student at Highbury College sees hunt for apprenticeship boosted after CV appeal shared 4,500 times

A HIGHBURY College student has been given a head start in his search for an apprenticeship thanks to one man’s generosity and the power of social media.
By Hope Mckellar
Published 13th Sep 2019, 11:30 BST
Tommy Toovey and his CVTommy Toovey and his CV
Tommy Toovey and his CV

Tommy Toovey dropped in a plain laminated letter appealing to plumbing and heating businesses looking for apprentices to plumbers merchants Mr Central Heating in Copnor, who said they would display it in their window. 

But product file manager Mark Neale was so impressed with Tommy’s initiative that he took the letter and ‘jazzed it up’ into a colourful design with a cartoon plumber. 

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He took his design to social media where the post has been shared 4,500 times and has received almost 100 likes. 

Tommy Toovey and his CVTommy Toovey and his CV
Tommy Toovey and his CV

He said: ‘It is the first time we’ve done it. We thought it was so good that he was getting himself out there, so we decided to jazz it up and put it on our Facebook and website for him.

‘I wish him all the luck really, that’s why I did it.’ 

Tommy said he has not yet been offered an apprenticeship but his Facebook inbox has been full since the post was shared. 

He is really grateful for the support that people on the post have shown.

Tommy Toovey, a Highbury College student from Buckland who is on the hunt for an apprenticeship in plumbing and heating.Tommy Toovey, a Highbury College student from Buckland who is on the hunt for an apprenticeship in plumbing and heating.
Tommy Toovey, a Highbury College student from Buckland who is on the hunt for an apprenticeship in plumbing and heating.
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He wrote: ‘Would like to say a massive thank you to everyone on sharing this post and helping me out to find the apprenticeship I need, it’s opened some much more opportunities for me to get what I am looking for and I really couldn’t thank Mark and his team enough for doing this for me.’

The 18-year-old from Buckland starts studying for his level three plumbing foundation diploma this month after passing the level two diploma this year. 

When he’s not at college, Tommy is a labourer for an established building company in Portsmouth, but says he wants to get an apprenticeship alongside a plumbing and heating firm to succeed in his goals of becoming a successful plumbing and heating engineer.

He handed out around 17 cover letters to firms in the city after a friend said it worked for them. 

Related topics:Highbury CollegePortsmouthFacebook