Cameron Mair reflects on year three of his software apprenticeship

Here at JWF we have four apprentices that work for the business. To mark National Apprenticeship Week 2026, we caught up with Cameron Mair, our third year Software Development Graduate, to get an update on his apprenticeship.

• How has your apprenticeship experience evolved over the past year?

Over the past year, I have taken on more responsibility in my work. I have continued to grow my software development skills as well as having grown my confidence when working with customers. As a result, I am now carrying out site visits and installations on my own and I actively engage with customers during meetings.

• Looking back, what new skills or approaches to software development have you learned over the past year?

I have been exposed to many different development areas over the past year. Including working with machine learning algorithms, using React Native to build mobile apps and developing applications to work with physical hardware. Doing all of this has allowed me to gain skills across a number of technologies.

• What projects have you worked on in the last twelve months that you found most interesting or challenging?

One of the most interesting projects I have worked on is developing an app for customers of water utility companies to view and gain insights into their water usage. I particularly enjoyed this project as it involved creating tips and insights based on user usage data, which helped me to understand how data can be turned into something meaningful to the user.

Another project I am currently working on involves creating an application that allows users to take meter readings using a receiver, as well as view meter details such as location and any active alarms. Both projects have been extremely interesting and challenging. For example, managing user sign-ups so customers can securely view their own readings in the first project, and supporting the use of external hardware in the second.

• Have there been any new achievements or milestones you’re proud of?

One achievement I am particularly proud of is recently passing a course at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) on Data Science for Manufacturing. The course focused on bridging the gap between software development and manufacturing and involved creating a machine learning project using data from your workplace. For my project, I developed a model to predict when liquid oxygen tanks in hospitals would need refilling based on forecasted usage. This was a challenging but rewarding experience and massively grew my understanding of how data science can be applied to real-world problems.

• How have your career goals or aspirations developed since we last spoke?

Working at JWF has helped me realise that I am passionate about building software that helps people and makes their lives easier. This is the aspect of my work that I have found most rewarding. In the future, I am very much looking forward to continuing to develop this kind of software.

• What new skills for life have you learned over the past year?

One important life skill I have been developing over the past year is patience in my work. There are times when tasks are challenging or something isn’t working as expected, but I am learning to approach these situations with a view of learning from them and taking them one step at a time. I am starting to appreciate that software development is a massive iceberg, and that persistence and patience will help me chip away at it and results in progress in the long term.

• How has your confidence and ability to work independently or with clients changed?

Over the past year, my confidence and ability to work independently and with clients has grown significantly. I now feel confident in my ability to carry out tasks independently, as well as working directly with customers. I can hold my own in client conversations and deliver presentations with confidence. This is something I previously felt I lacked, but it has developed as I have gained more experience.

• Would you still recommend the apprenticeship route, and why?

Yes definitely, I would still recommend the apprenticeship route, as it’s a great opportunity to study while gaining real world experience. Also, many of the technologies I use at work are very new and would not typically be covered in a traditional university curriculum, so having exposure to them is extremely valuable. The apprenticeship route also helps reinforce what you learn at university, as so much of the content is directly applicable to your day-to-day work. As a result, learning is constantly reinforced.