It’s National Apprenticeship Week and we want to celebrate our brilliant apprentices, Jess Thornhill and Holly Evans.
Apprenticeships are a great way to start a career, whether you’re just finishing school or want a change.
Jess Thornhill, Business Administration Apprentice
Jess has been an apprentice at LAT for nearly a year and when she’s not busy in the office she spends one day a week completing assignments and modules to support her apprenticeship in Business Administration. Jess likes to spend her free time going to the gym, going for walks with her partner in the Peak District and spending quality time with her family and friends.
“I applied for this apprenticeship online after I had found that full-time college wasn’t for me. I wanted a more hands-on job and to do something different. I was offered an interview at the organisation and it all began from there.
“Before my interview I was asked to look through the charity's website. This was when I saw Young Oasis, a programme that offers one-to-one support to children and young people in Lincolnshire who have been or are affected by a family member using drugs or alcohol. This appealed to me the most as I had always wanted to work with children.
“My main responsibilities include reporting, filing, contacting service users, booking appointments and many other general office tasks.
“I really enjoy working at this organisation. We work well as a team, and I have made some lifelong friends along the way. The charity is a community of people who give their time to help others to grow and achieve.
“I hope to become a Young Oasis practitioner. I have worked on this project for almost a year, and I have learned so much about helping young people in the community which has made me want to play a bigger part within the service in the future.”
Jess' advice for someone contemplating starting an apprenticeship is: “Do it! You gain so many real-life experiences in a work setting and it allows you to discover what it is you want to do with your future and prepares you with relevant skills to achieve that goal.”
Holly Evans, Business Administration Apprentice
Holly wanted to start an apprenticeship as she thought it would be a great opportunity to learn new skills and grow in confidence. Holly heard about the organisation’s apprenticeship on a government website and after an interview, she got the job.
Holly said: “I chose to complete my apprenticeship at LAT because the organisation’s values and services are what interested me the most. The work it does and the support it provides for those affected by the criminal justice system is what appealed to me.
“The apprenticeship includes many different modules, different topics and skills of business administration. You complete a tracker that logs the work you have completed. This allows your tutor to see how you are progressing and what new things you are learning.”
She added: “I have been able to complete a range of different skills while working for the charity which has built my confidence, and I have had many new opportunities.
“I hope to carry on developing my skills to progress within the organisation. The advice I would give to someone considering an apprenticeship would be to ‘go for it’. Apprenticeships are a great form of self-development and they allow you to get a clear understanding of what you want in your career. They also allow you to have independence and your own work load which will additionally help to develop your skills.”
Visit the National Apprenticeship Service website for further information about apprenticeships
