Meet Jacob Turner, Welder

Jacob joined TJ six months ago and prides himself on always doing a good job. Outside of work, family is his priority. He and his partner love spending time with their two grandchildren, taking them on days out and trips away and doing all things fun!

WHAT DOES YOUR ROLE INVOLVE?

I’m a welder by trade and I joined TJ six months ago to undertake any welding work that needs doing on the company’s vast collection of skips. If a skip needs repairing, I’ll cut out the damaged pieces, replace them with new materials and weld it all back together. I do this using 3mm and 4mm sheet metal which is the best material to work with.

I usually work at the dedicated Yapton workshop near Arundel but I also travel around carrying out repairs on-site. On an average day I’ll repair between two and four skips, but this depends on the extent of the damage and the level of the repairs that are needed. Sometimes repairs are quick and some can take up to six hours or more, so I really never know where the day is going to take me! Once I’ve repaired the skips, I respray them and reapply the signage to ensure they are in tip top condition and looking good for our customers. 

WHAT’S YOUR CAREER BACKGROUND?

I’ve been in the fabricating and welding trade all my life – 24 years to date! I’ve had a range of jobs over the years, some at smaller companies and some at big steelworks which involved me welding gates, railings, staircases, structural steelwork – all aspects of welding really. 

I enjoy it all and will put my hand to anything. I studied welding at college and then built up my skills and experience  further over the years in my various jobs. I worked my way up to supervisor in my previous role, which was something I enjoyed as I loved leading and working as part of a team. That said I’m happy working alone too as I like to get stuck in, so either or a mixture of both works well for me.

WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF YOUR ROLE?

Definitely seeing the finished product when it’s all done! Once I’ve completed the entire process of repair, respray and resigning, the skips look really good again and that gives me a real feeling of achievement. It’s good to know that not only have I made the skips safe for continued use, but they look great too!

WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF YOUR JOB?

It can be frustrating when you’re midway through working on something and the electrics go or a piece of equipment falters, causing delays. I’m always keen to get on with my work but I always remain patient and work to get the problem sorted so I can get back to the job as soon as possible. I certainly never get stressed, I take everything in my stride to ensure a complete and thorough job is done every time.

WHAT DO YOU PRIDE YOURSELF ON? / achievements? / proud of?

I’m really proud of what I achieve on a daily basis. I always ensure I do a good job and people really appreciate the work I do which is very satisfying and makes you realise how worthwhile your role is. As long as I know I’m doing a good job I’m happy!

WHY IS TJ A GREAT PLACE TO WORK?

It’s a good-sized company that’s going places and I’m excited to be part of that. I always have plenty of work to keep me busy which is very motivating for me, as are the possible future job opportunities. The people are lovely too, I get on with everyone and liaise with the drivers on a regular basis. They’ll ask me to carry out work on some of the skips and roll-on-roll-offs and often compliment me on the high level of work I’m doing. It’s nice to be appreciated and to be part of such a great team!

Find out more about working for TJ and meet other members of the TJ team! Discover the range of services on offer too…