Could an Apprenticeship be the perfect option for you?

This week marks National Apprenticeship Week, an annual celebration of apprenticeships and their benefits for learners and businesses alike. This year’s theme is Skills for Life.

Apprenticeships are a great option for anyone at any age, as long as you’re over 16. One of the best things about apprenticeships is that you get the practical experience that employers value, and the chance to earn a salary whilst doing so.

You’ll spend most of your time learning the skills you need to succeed in your role and develop your career long after your apprenticeship is finished.

Jon Paul-Rimington, Managing Director of The Growth Company Education and Skills, said: “Apprenticeships are a great option for someone who is looking to get a head start in their future career whilst earning money at the same time and here at GC we work with employers across a range of industries to offer programmes that suit everyone's goals and ambitions.

“We have over 30 years of experience supporting apprentices to achieve their goals and we’ve seen first-hand the benefits of apprenticeships for our learners, with 90% of our apprentices progressing into employment or further study after completing their programme.”

Our expertise has been recognised numerous times over the last year. GC Education and Skills was listed as one of the Top 50 Training Providers in the country by RateMyApprenticeship, we also won the Low Carbon Innovator of the Year Award at the National Construction Apprenticeship Awards and Training Company of the Year 2022 at the National Fenestration Awards.

We work with more than 2,500 employers to offer apprenticeships in a vast variety of industries, including Business, Construction, Childcare Customer Service, Marketing, IT & Digital, Education and more.

We’ve also recently launched our Green Skills Academy in January, supporting Greater Manchester’s ambitions to become carbon neutral by 2038. The Academy offers a Dual Fuel Smart Meter Installation Apprenticeship which provides learners with the skills and knowledge needed to safely install, exchange and maintain smart meters, explaining to customers how they work and how to use energy more efficiently. Visit the website to find out more about the Green Skills Academy. 
 
Here’s what a couple of our inspirational apprentices had to say about their experience and how the support they have received has helped them in their careers so far.

Accounting apprentice Maddison Owen opted for an apprenticeship as she didn’t feel the university route would be for her. She enrolled on a pre-apprenticeship programme, before progressing to a level 3 apprenticeship.

As she approached the end of her pre-apprenticeship programme, Maddison received support from her tutors to secure her level 3 apprenticeship. She said: “The Growth Company team helped us write emails and letters to different accountants across Manchester and ensured we secured interviews.

Now, Maddison is happy to have found herself a lifelong career and is currently completing her level 4 apprenticeship and hopes to continue to progress.

Aaron Da Silva opted for a Gas Engineering apprenticeship as a career change after serving in the Royal Marines for 15 years. Aaron was sceptical prior to starting his apprenticeship as he was worried he might be too old.

He said: “When I decided to do the apprenticeship, I thought I was going to feel uncomfortable in a class of younger students, however, this was completely not the case. There are people of all different ages and walks of life and GC Education and Skills do everything possible to make you feel welcome and comfortable throughout the course.”

Aaron now works as a Gas Engineering tutor at our GM SkillCentre, using his own experience to empathise with current apprentices and support them through the challenges they are facing.

At 34 years old, Rochelle Pilgrim decided to retrain as a joiner after working with Blue Ocean Building Ltd as a labourer. She initially signed up for evening classes before the Warrington-based company put their full support behind her and offered her a Level 2 apprenticeship.

As the first woman on the team of joiners, Rochelle is proud to be a woman working in a typically male-dominated industry. Her confidence and skills have meant that she has had a positive impact on the business. Changing perceptions that some colleagues had about women in construction has inspired some of the other apprentices.

Rochelle was also awarded Apprentice of the Year at this year’s Made in Manchester Awards, recognised for her dedication and commitment to her new learning journey. 

If you’d like to hear from more of our apprentices, tune in to Unity Radio on Wednesday 8 February at 11 am where we’ll be talking to two apprentices all about their experiences. Listen live on the Unity Radio website.
 
Our programmes range from level 1 Pre-Apprenticeship courses, which give you the skills you need and build your confidence to enter the working environment, all the way through to level 6 Degree Apprenticeships. Our learners also benefit from smaller class sizes than a mainstream college environment.

Interested? If you’d like to learn more about apprenticeships with GC Education and Skills, visit our dedicated Apprenticeships page. If you’d like to take a look around our facilities and have the chance to speak to our tutors, we would love to welcome you to one of our Open Events.

If you or someone you know is interested in an apprenticeship, we currently have over 50 apprenticeship vacancies across a range of industries that you can apply for. Take a look at our current vacancies.