Patrick Saunders

Patrick Saunders started his working life in 1979, as an apprentice maintenance electrician with Chesterfield Cylinders, a company which started manufacturing high pressure gas cylinders, tubing and special products in 1854. This diverse role gave him a very wide range of experience on high powered low and high voltage (6,600 to 11,000 Volt) electrical systems, machines and equipment. Patrick then transferred into their electronics servicing department, looking after instrumentation and NDT (Non Destructive Testing) systems. After many years he moved into electrical training and technical solutions services, performing in the roles of electrical tutor and process automation systems programmer, before joining British Gas Training in 1999.

Patrick believes it is important to create a teaching environment in which students feel comfortable and relaxed, and as a result adopts a fairly informal approach in the classroom. He feels he is able to empathise with the students since in many cases he has performed the tasks they are required to carry out and therefore knows exactly how to deliver technical information in a manner that makes it easy to understand. His working knowledge and experience also helps in being able to relate electrical theory to practical applications. This, together with his ability to understand the student’s current level of subject knowledge, combines to create an environment that allows people to be more receptive to new information and gain what they need from the courses he delivers.