Let’s look back at National Apprenticeship Week 2018

What a week we had for National Apprenticeship week (NAW), as staff, apprentices and Training Officers came together to celebrate why apprenticeships work.

It was a great opportunity for us to pass over the mic to our wonderful apprentices to hear what they had to say with regards to their qualifications. Below, we share apprenticeship testimonials from internal and external learners, as well as finding out what qualities a Manager would be looking for in their ideal apprentice.

Emma Dockrell

I have a young family who require a lot of my time. However, despite having young children, it was still really important to continue my professional development.

It was to my delight that I came across BB Training Academy, offering flexible apprenticeship programmes fitting perfectly alongside the demands of my personal life. Not only this, I discovered that I was able to earn whilst I learned, which really eliminated the pressure of reducing down my working hours to accommodate my ambition to study.

Overall, I have benefited from the apprenticeship by being able to work and earn money whilst studying, which all fits nicely around my children. It’s also nice to know that I’m working towards a qualification which is recognised and will give me the opportunity to further my career.

Claire Kinsley

I’ve been at Busy Bees for ten years. I have learnt and progressed so much thanks to the Level 3 Leadership and Management course provided by BB Training.

When I started my Level 3 Leadership and Management BB Training Academy assigned me a tutor called Rachel Jackson and she was amazing. Rachel was always there for me; she and the wider team really helped me to improve and develop in so many ways, especially when it came to my IT skills. Prior to the course, I hadn’t had the opportunity to improve my skills with a computer, but now, I can use all the systems. Being able to competently and confidently use a computer makes the day-to-day running of my job far easier.

The Level 3 Leadership and Management course was a mix of observations, discussions, on-site learning and 1 on 1s. It was really varied and gave you lots of opportunities to hit goals and to improve. Many of my team have also completed courses from BB Training and it has helped us all to improve ourselves both individually and as a team. We are all really grateful for the support the courses and tutors have given us.

Sheryll Thicke- Training Officer and Former Apprentice

Sheryll is one of our amazing Training Officers; you don’t have to take our word for this, here is a testimonial from our wonderful apprentice John Bailey:

‘I believe the key to the success of my Business Administration Level 4 is down to my assessor Sheryll. She has been very communicative and has been excellent in facilitating my access to the appropriate educational materials. She always provides feedback in plenty of time for me to review and act on it. She has been excellent with regards to my functional skills and is able to explain exactly what is expected of me’.

Not only has Sheryll excelled at being one of our highly commended Training Officers, she also completed her Play-work Level 3 Transitional Award with us. She commented that:

‘Apprenticeships work as they can be done alongside your work and you can take ownership of the time you spend on the work that is set. An apprenticeship offers the flexibility to meet the needs of a healthy work/life balance. There is lots of advice and support whenever you need it - you do not have to wait for a class session if you have a question, you are able to contact your assessor whenever you need them’.

The Ideal Apprentice

Now you have heard from some of our apprentices and one of our lovely Training Officers as to ‘why apprentices work’, it will be useful to discover what a Manager is looking for in a successful apprentice, especially if an apprenticeship is something you would like to pursue. Here’s what we found out:

· Good quality and dedicated apprentices are very flexible and are able to mould themselves to the values and drives of the setting in which they work.

· Hard-working and good quality apprentices are very valuable as they train on the job, bringing what they have learned to the setting and their skills are always up-to-date.

· The best apprentices are always eager to learn more and go that extra mile.

· They will ask questions and enquire about what is expected of them and how they can excel.

· Think outside the box and offer to step outside of their comfort zone in order to learn and gain more hands on experience.

Why Apprenticeships Work

You heard it here first, straight from the apprentices themselves. It is evident that apprenticeships work for many people for lots of different reasons and it’s more than possible that an apprenticeship could work excellently for you!

If you’re feeling inspired by hearing why apprentices work, please take a look at our website or get in touch with a member of our recruitment team on 01543 711153, we would love to hear from you.