A day in the life of....an Apprentice
With Apprenticeships fast becoming an increasingly popular method of career development for 16-24 year olds, what is it really like to be an Apprentice, working and training in Shropshire?
Councillor Karen Burgoyne set about finding out just this last week by experiencing ‘A Day in the life of an Apprentice’.
As Deputy Portfolio Holder for Education and Skills at Shropshire Council, Councillor Burgoyne is passionate about raising awareness of the Apprenticeship Programme and the potential it has to set young people up with the skills and knowledge required to achieve sustained and rewarding careers.
On Friday 6 July, Karen met with Erica Garner, Head of Shropshire Councils, Learning, Employment and Training Service to embark on her challenge which involved visiting several Shrewsbury based County Training Apprentices in their work placements.
Her first visit was to Belvidere School where she met IT Apprentice Jake Parsons. Having worked as an IT teacher herself Karen Burgoyne was keen to meet an Apprentice working in this sector. This was followed by a visit to The Lion and Pheasant Hotel for an assessment observation with Tom Jackson, a Level 3 Professional Cookery Apprentice – there was even the opportunity to sample some of his culinary delights!
Other visits and meetings included taking part in a tuition session for Health and Social Care Apprentices and speaking to Shropshire Youth manager Emma Linney, about the current picture for 16-18 year olds not actively engaged in education, employment or training (NEET).
One of the highlights of the day was Karen’s visit to the County Training Hair Academy at the Gateway Education and Arts Centre. Here she was treated to a unique creation from tutor Margery Masters and pre-Apprentice Alice Evans which involved her hair being twisted up and spiked with blue extensions!
Councillor Burgoyne commented “It truly was a fantastic day. I was unbelievably impressed by all of the Apprentices I met. The level of skills and maturity they all had, which is clearly a result of their training and time spent in the work environment is astounding, they are a credit to Shropshire , County Training and the employers they work with.
Councillor Burgoyne added “Apprenticeships play an important role in the development of young people today. Seeing them at work, being assessed and receiving one-to-one tuition allows them to develop both the work based and social skills which are vital to being successful in employment.”
If you are interested in becoming an apprentice or are a business interested in offering an apprenticeship placement to a young person who is keen to learn, visit: www.shropshire.gov.uk/apprenticeships.nsf or call 0345 6789023.
