Earlier this year, Rebecca Cocks, Regional Sales Manager at Kane International came to visit several groups of our gas students doing the New Entrants Gas Course here at Able Skills.
On one occasion, Rebecca spent the afternoon showing the group a few products from the Kane range, some of the domestic and light commercial analysers, in particular, the Kane 460 HVACR & IAQ Analyser.
During the visit, she generously shared stories from her own experience of working in the gas industry, along with some useful tips about working on-site and how to protect yourself from carbon monoxide. It was a truly inspiring afternoon for our gas students.
Following her visit, we caught up with Rebecca for an interview. Given that gas is still a fairly male-dominated industry, we were eager to ask some questions about how she started in her career and what she thinks the challenges are for women in the industry.
Interview with Rebecca from Kane International
We began by asking Rebecca what her career path had looked like to get her to her current role:
I started out working with a local engineer while still in school, before securing an apprenticeship. Then gained a space on a part-time plumbing NVQ course.
In 2008 I gained my gas qualifications and worked as a gas engineer for over a decade, before moving into a new role as an estimator for a large merchant, where I compiled large-scale commercial quotations for multimillion-pound projects across the UK.
I was soon promoted to manage the team and the project tracking team. In this role, I gained extensive knowledge of the wider construction industry and lead generation using a variety of platforms.
My goal was to transition into field sales. My experience in value engineering against specification, lead generation, and contractor meetings proved invaluable in providing me with a deeper understanding of what customers want and need from their salesperson to support their business.
I joined Kane in October 2023, moving into the field-based role. Working for Kane has been a fulfilling experience for me, and I feel fortunate to be part of a fantastic team and innovative business.
I particularly enjoy being involved with customers and their orders from start to finish, as it gives you a great sense of satisfaction to be on that journey with them and to know that I have done my very best to support them throughout the process.
And now she's in that role, what does that mean for her day-to-day work? What does a typical day look like as Regional Sales Manager for Kane International?
My typical day involves meeting with new and existing customers to determine their business needs. Liaising with the office to raise quotations for my customers and following up on these to ensure I have interpreted their needs correctly.
I also visit colleges and training centres (like Able Skills) to support the new generation of engineers entering the industry via industry insights and training on our products.
Although my phone never stops and there is always someone in need of help, it brings me immense satisfaction to know that I have made a positive impact on someone's day.
We were also interested to know what had sparked her interest in the gas industry initially:
The plumbing and heating industry is a fantastic field to be a part of because it is constantly evolving.
Since I first entered the industry in 2005, there have been numerous changes in technology.
Even now that I work in a sales role, there is always an opportunity to learn and gain more knowledge about new technologies.
No two days are ever the same, as there are always fresh challenges to overcome and new ways to approach things.
In an industry where we don't see as many women as men training to be gas engineers, we wanted to know if she has any thoughts on why that is. Is there anything that puts women off the industry and does she think that's changing?
I have often been the only female in a company while working on the tools full-time. However, I have never viewed this as a disadvantage and have always strived to break the mould and make people review their own preconceptions.
I believe that more women are entering the industry, and more people are open to hiring females as apprentices.
When I was in school, I was given information on apprenticeships. I still remember telling my head of year that I wanted to go into construction, and I was met with the response 'That's not really a woman's job.' This only fuelled my determination to prove a point.
However, I am glad to see that misconceptions like these are slowly disappearing.
I hope that in the future, more young women join the industry, and construction apprenticeships are marketed to women as much as they are to men.
We were interested in her thoughts on the gas industry as a whole. What does she think are the biggest challenges facing the industry right now?
I believe that the most significant obstacles that anyone encounters in this industry are their adaptability skills.
Every day you are presented with various problems to solve, and the technology keeps evolving. To succeed in this industry, you must be willing to keep learning throughout your career because nothing stays the same for too long.
Rebecca recently came to Able Skills to do her ACS reassessment, so we asked her about how she'd found that experience:
I recently had an amazing experience with Able Skills. The staff were incredibly knowledgeable and helpful, and the training facilities were outstanding.
The entire process of reassessing with Able Skills was straightforward, from booking in with Richard to completing my assessments with Roy and Mo. They answered all my questions and delivered the courses professionally and calmly, which helped me to relax and absorb all the information.
Many engineers feel stressed out during their resits, but the staff at Able Skills go the extra mile to really make you feel at ease.
To end the interview, we asked her to tell us a bit more about the Kane:
Kane takes pride in offering unparalleled customer service. Our exceptional customer service has earned us the Queens award for innovation for Kane Care.
We are excited to announce the launch of the KANE 460, the very first HVACR analyser. The KANE 460 can test 12 standard fuels and 40 different refrigerants, without the need for any additional manifolds for pressure or temperature. This means that you can easily switch from testing boilers to heat pumps with just one device!
Kane is the only place in the UK with its own UKAS laboratory. This enables us to provide UKAS-certificated calibrations in-house, with a record turnaround for a fixed price.
Thank you to Rebecca for sharing your time and knowledge of the industry. We look forward to welcoming you back to Able Skills again soon.
Gas Engineer
Plumbing