Katie O’Reilly

Apprenticeship in Childcare

Katie’s plan for the future was to work with children and since starting her Apprenticeship in Childcare she is growing in confidence and passion- and now has her sights set on becoming a teacher.

Katie O’Reilly had always wanted to work with children and completing work experience at a local school made her even more certain. “I really enjoyed the week I spent there and it made me sure I wanted to work with children for a living. Since that experience, Holy Trinity Primary School support me through the Apprenticeship programme, whereby I spend 3 days at the school working with the children and 1 day per week completing my studies at College.”

Katie’s original plan was to be a teaching assistant, however her goals have developed and she can now see herself studying to become a teacher in the future.

Jordan Bulman

Apprenticeship in I.T

Jordan Bulman recognised that an apprenticeship in IT would provide him with skills and experience that employers would value…

“The IT industry is fast paced and varied, with new technologies and advancements happening constantly – that’s what I like about it. I opted to take an apprenticeship in IT as I want to be able to demonstrate to potential employers that I had experience as well as the skills and know-how. I will come up against other candidates for positions in the future, so I need to be able to stand out and I think proven experience, alongside qualifications, is really important in doing that.”

Jordan’s apprenticeship is enabling him get a taste of various elements of working in an IT department, which will help him identify the areas he enjoys:

“In the six months I’ve been an apprentice I’ve been able to get involved in different tasks, so I get a broad range of hands-on experience, which is helpful in working out the things I’m good at and the things I enjoy.”

Chantelle Brown

Apprenticeship in Hairdressing

Passionate about becoming a hairdresser, Chantelle was confident an apprenticeship was the best route into hairdressing for her.

Chantelle had wanted to go into hairdressing since finishing school. She looked for an apprentice hairdressing position immediately because she thought working in a salon as she undertook training would be of real benefit to her. A vacancy in a local salon soon cropped up, so Chantelle wasted no time in applying and subsequently go the job! By gaining hands on experience in a working salon, Chantelle is able to practice a range of skills such as customer liaison, time management and team working skills, along with developing her technical hairdressing skills.

“I work in the salon during the week and spend each Wednesday in College completing my course work,” she says, “I’m enjoying every minute of it. I hope to be able to progress up the ladder here as I gain more experience and qualifications.”

Jess Moore

Advanced Apprenticeship in Administration

Jess wanted to gain further qualifications after she finished school, but wasn’t sure studying full time was the way she wanted to go, so she looked into Apprenticeship programmes….

“I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do when I left school - my mum had suggested training in administration and not long afterwards I saw the Apprenticeship in Administration vacancy at Lincoln College in the Lincolnshire Echo. The job specification sounded really interesting, so I applied straight away. In practice, my apprenticeship means I spend 1 day a week in lessons working to complete the formal qualification and the rest of the week is spent in the office. My days are always varied, but typical tasks I work on include handling student enquiries, updating course documents and generally providing support to the administration team. Having completed the Level 2 Apprenticeship in under 1 year, Jess is now doing the Level 3 and is due to complete by August 2012. “Taking this apprenticeship was definitely the right choice for me! I have a job, which I am getting paid for, and gaining qualifications and experience at the same time.”