Father-of-three Shah Raja quit his job as a bank clerk to work as an electrician’s apprentice fitter in London’s East End.

Now he has been accepted on a course to become a qualified electrical engineer.

The 33-year-old from Bethnal Green is one of nine recruits who have signed on to a two-year Engineering Development programme run by UK Power Networks, which supplies electricity to eight million properties across London and the South East.

“I want to learn a lot more,” he said. “This is the next step to learn about the power business.”

Shah, whose youngest child is 10 months, is set to qualify as an engineer with a Higher National Certificate in Electrical Engineering from Warwickshire College.