AoC London Colleges Apprenticeships CASE STUDIES 2012

1. AoC London Colleges’ apprenticeships case studies
Greenwich Community College
A member of staff, Chelsey Ward (20), who started at the College one year ago on a Job
Centre Plus 8 week work placement. She impressed so much that she was offered a job in
the finance department and in September started an Accountancy Apprenticeship with the
College.
Havering College of Further and Higher Education
APPRENTICESHIPS PLAY A PART IN OLYMPIC PARK ART
AN ART installation at the
Olympic Park is illustrating how
an apprenticeship can sculpt a
bright future.
Bespoke metal rings, each
weighing up to half-a-tonne, are
being suspended in the boughs of
large semi-mature trees to mark
the new entrances into the 500-
acre Queen Elizabeth Olympic
Park after the London 2012
Games.
The rings are being produced by Benson Sedgwick, a specialist engineering company based
in Selinas Lane, Dagenham. Havering College of Further and Higher Education is proud to
work with the company delivering an apprenticeship programme.
Benson Sedgwick employee Dean Gunn, 21, has just completed his Level 3 Advanced
Apprenticeship in Fabrication and Welding with the college.
The Olympic tree ring project, which Dean is currently working on, is just one example of
the specialist orders the company receives from some of the UK's leading artists.
While friends of the same age are graduating from universities and struggling to find jobs,
Dean is climbing the career ladder having recently been given responsibility for the day-to-
day running of the factory.
Dean, from Hornchurch, is in no doubt that an apprenticeship was a smart move when he
left Abbs Cross Academy & Arts College aged 16 with an impressive cache of 13 A-C grade
GCSEs.
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2. He said: “I always knew I wanted to work in engineering and after school I wanted to move
onto engineering college. Once I started at Havering College I was fortunate to be on as an
apprentice by Benson Sedgwick. I am glad I decided to take the apprenticeship route. A lot
of my friends who went to university are now graduating and finding it difficult to get
work. By taking the route I did I have secured a job while learning. My ambition now is to
help the company grow. They have helped me out with the apprenticeship and I would like
to return the favour in a way.”
Benson Sedgwick co-director Barry Goillau believes there are big benefits to be gained by
companies taking on apprentices who typically spend four days in the workplace and one at
College.
He said: “Going through an apprenticeship shows a willingness to learn and a commitment
to the industry. The benefits to the business are that you can educate someone in the areas
you need and in your established methods of working. Dean is only 21 but we are confident
in his abilities and in time he will be getting more and more involved in the decision making
processes of the company. Taking on a young person is quite a big responsibility but the
College helps to fulfil some of that role in education, training and health and safety.”
APPRENTICES DISCOVER A BRIGHT FUTURE WITH TECHNOLOGY LEADER
TEENAGER Nick Faulks is working at the cutting edge of technology and helping to save
lives.
As an apprentice with e2v, the 19-year-old is training to become a line engineer producing
thyratrons – a highly specialised component used in medical applications such as
radiotherapy.
With e2v imaging sensors onboard NASA's Mars rover, other exciting new frontiers may lie
ahead for the former Chelmer Valley High School pupil once he completes his
apprenticeship in Electronic
Engineering, delivered in partnership
with Havering College of Further and
Higher Education.
Chelmsford resident Nick, who spends
four days in the workplace and one at
Havering College, said: “I always knew
I wanted to be an engineer but I didn’t
fancy going to university. Being local I
knew of e2v, saw the apprenticeship
scheme advertised and applied for it.
“My university friends are being told it will be hard to get a job in engineering just with a
degree because they don’t have any experience whereas I will come out with an HNC at 21
with five years’ experience. For me an apprenticeship was definitely the right decision.”
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3. Chris Hawkins – e2v apprentice manager – believes apprenticeships are a key to future
success. He said: “Apprenticeships are helping to fill a skills gap. We have an aging
workforce with a lot of knowledge at the top but we will lose those people when they retire.
By having young people coming in and working up, the experienced, mature workers pass
their knowledge on. The apprentices also come in with fresh pairs of eyes and see things
from a different perspective. We give them experience of different placements within the
company so they can see what division they want to go into such as medical and science,
aerospace and defence or commercial and industrial markets. We work very closely with
Havering College and the relationship is really good. The college has listened, responded
and tailor-made the course to suit our business needs. There is a good level of monitoring of
the apprentices.”
e2v currently has 27 apprentices on the scheme and holds an open day at its Chelmsford site
in February when anyone interested can chat to current apprentices and their managers. For
further details on the e2v apprentice scheme visit www.e2v.com
Bromley College of FE and HE
Coreco: “Apprentices bring enthusiasm and energy to the business”
Coreco, a leading London-based provider of independent mortgage and financial advice,
joined forced with Bromley College in June 2011 to launch a range of Apprenticeships in
Financial Services.
Capital B, Bromley College’s employer services team, worked closely with Coreco to recruit
five new financial services
apprentices.
Asad Khan was recruited by
Coreco and is studying on the
Advanced Apprenticeship in
Providing Mortgage Advice. Asad
described why he chose a career
within financial services: “The
financial services industry is a
dynamic, challenging
environment that rewards
ingenuity and initiative. It is a fast
paced and exciting industry which thrives on consistent improvement and embracing new
technology.”
He decided to choose an Apprenticeship over going to university due to “the opportunity of
obtaining the necessary qualifications, skills and training that are crucial for success in the
industry.”
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4. Asad is enjoying his Apprenticeship: “It’s great to have the opportunity to benefit from the
wisdom, knowledge and experiences of well-established individuals in your company and
to be taught by the people whom you one day aspire to become.”
Asad went on to say why he would recommend an Apprenticeship: “It is the right choice for
you if you're self-motivated, eager to learn and want to take advantage of benefitting from
opportunities to launch yourself to new heights.”
Roy Hardy, Director of Coreco, was first drawn to Apprenticeships as “the scheme provides
an excellent route to taking on young people and training them to our own standards. It
also provides an a viable alternative to university study allowing young people to continue
to obtain relevant qualifications whist gaining valuable vocational experience in the
workplace. We believe that for the right people an Apprenticeship is far more valuable than
university, giving them a head start and hopefully leading to a successful career in financial
services and hopefully with Coreco.
“Our apprentices bring enthusiasm and energy to our business. They are keen to learn and
have no preconceived ideas, aren’t set in their ways and ask questions. The apprentices are
doing real jobs which contribute greatly to our efficiency as a business.”
Roy concluded by saying: “I would urge any young person who is out of work and
concerned about their future to apply for an Apprenticeship. As an employer I would be far
happier taking on someone who has gained a year to 18 months experience in the workplace
and gained some further qualifications. We are passionate believers in Apprenticeships and
could not be any happier with the results we have had so far."
Lewisham College, incorporating Southwark College
For Connor Holgate, an apprenticeship is about taking that next step to fulfilling his dream.
“For me, my ambition is to run my own pub. This will help me get there quicker.” Connor
works at Shepherd Neame’s Ye Olde Whyte Lyon in Orpington, and when his pub’s
landlord found out about the Level 2 Licensed Hospitality Apprenticeship, delivered with
care by Lewisham College through The
Skills People, he suggested to Connor that he
join. “I’ve been working in bars since I was
18 and this is what I want to do. I’m
enthusiastic about it,” Connor says.
Connor is experienced – he helps to train
new staff – but what his apprenticeship is
about is developing management
responsibilities. “For me, Shepherd Neame
far exceeds other breweries because they
already train standard bar staff to very high level, so I felt ready to progress,” Connor says.
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5. The Licensed Hospitality Apprenticeship is
adding another level of knowledge to
Connor’s skills, with compliance and
management being added to Connor’s
current list of skills. Shepherd Neame
believes in investing in people, so the
apprenticeship works for everyone. Connor
receives a recognized qualification that
furthers his dream of becoming a pub
landlord while Shepherd Neame, through
Lewisham College, trains a member of staff
to management level expertise.
I was looking for a course that would put me on the right
path to a career. I’d always been interested in construction, so
I joined a brickwork course when I was 18. I got a thrill out of
doing something different and I felt really proud that I was
good at brickwork. The College offered me a lot of support
and helped me navigate the challenge of being a woman in
the construction trade. I became an apprentice at the
Olympics, working on countless walls at the Olympic Park,
and I won the Olympic Delivery Authority’s Apprentice of
the Year. Through my work on the Olympic site, I met the
Queen and Gordon Brown, and I kept working at Galostar.
I progressed to Level 3 and I finished 2nd place in the Young Builder of the Year, a UK-wide
competition presented by Youthbuild UK. I’ve won the London SkillBuild in Bricklaying
twice, the first woman to ever win. It was a great challenge! I’m currently studying Building
Studies and I am working with Skanska, who offered me the opportunity to join them as a
Quantity Surveyor. I want to go as far as I can, right up to the top. I don’t where I’ll end up,
but I have the ambition to learn everything I can to be great at my job.
When Daniel Bennett left school three years ago his future looked uncertain. Today, the 18-
year-old is looking forward to a career in one of the country’s most exciting industries. As a
creative apprentice employed by Lewisham College incorporating Southwark College, he’s
gained invaluable training and experience in putting on a show, from stage management, to
set construction and lighting.
“What I’ve really enjoyed, is that you’re not just sitting in a classroom – you get loads of
outside experience,” said Daniel. “I’ve had a lot of practical, hands-on work experience and
have helped out on productions at the National Theatre and Edinburgh Fringe.”
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6. Daniel, from Greenwich, took a one-year technical theatre and stage production course at
Lewisham after leaving school. He knew he wanted to work in some area of theatre
production and found the course gave him an excellent grounding. “I normally struggle
with studying because I am dyslexic,” said Daniel. “But the college gave me a lot of support
and the coursework was all based on evidence, so I could take photographs with short
captions for my assessments.”
After he finished the course Daniel was accepted for a creative apprenticeship at the college.
His tutor Sue Baynton, said he’s a great role model for new students. “Everywhere he has
worked, people have been full of praise for Daniel,” said Sue. “He’s a positive role model
because students can see how far he has come.”
Tower Hamlets College
Emma Maclaine, 18, from Bow, Level 2 Business Administration Apprentice at
Richardson Supply
I chose to train on an apprenticeship because a full-time College course didn’t suit me. I
knew I needed more qualifications, but really wanted to start working so knew this was the
best way to do it.
TowerSkills was the right training provider for me because it’s nearby, and it was
recommended to me by friends that were studying there. Everyone is supportive, and I
know lots of friendly staff there that I can go to for help and advice when I need it.
My day-to-day job tasks include logging quotes and orders, opening the post, taking phone
calls and filing. I help take the pressure off my colleagues so they can concentrate on other
work.
The Employer
What I really like about Richardson Supply is they’re
really supportive and push me to achieve. I now
understand their system and know their customers.
Next Steps
I definitely want to progress on to the Level 3 Apprenticeship in Business Administration
once I complete the Level 2. I would certainly consider working full-time at Richardson
Supply thereafter and start moving up the career ladder.
Jonathan Beedie, 21, from Woolwich, Level 2 Design Apprentice at thinkerdoer
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7. I wanted to do an apprenticeship as it’s the step before full time employment. I work four
days a week and have one day in College, so that I can develop
skills in class and take them back into work.
I started o with thinkerdoer just as work experience, but they
decided to help get me placed on an apprenticeship and
contacted TowerSkills on my behalf. My apprenticeship starts
this month and I’m really looking forward to it! I’m hoping to
develop more advanced theory and technical knowledge using
the Mac Suites at College, as I have been researching basic
techniques and teaching myself how to use
design software up until now.
I and my employer chose TowerSkills as the
training provider because it has good travel
links and is close to Canary Wharf. We
visited the College to look at the facilities
and we were really impressed! Becoming an
apprentice is great – being employed four
days a week and meeting new, like-minded
people at College – I can’t wait!
My day-to-day duties include assisting with design projects using Photoshop, InDesign and
Illustrator. I also got to create thinkerdoer’s website, and have helped create the design
elements of two big websites for our clients. I’d say the favourite part of my job so far
though has been assisting with branding, sharing my suggestions for logos and fonts with
the creative team.
The Employer
What I really like about working for thinkerdoer is that I feel like my opinion really matters.
Anthony and Lynda, my employers, are really easy to work with and it’s a really friendly
environment in the o- ce, which I know isn’t always the case in such a tough industry.
Next Steps
Once I nish my apprenticeship, I would like to work full-time here and see where it takes
me. Ultimately, I would like to have my own design company!
Uxbridge College
British Airways –Aircraft Maintenance Apprenticeship Programme In this scheme Uxbridge
College works with British Airways to recruit, prepare and train apprentices. In a pre-
apprenticeship year learners complete an engineering diploma alongside work experience
and training with BA. Those who pass interview at the end of the first year are taken on as
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8. full apprentices by BA, working with the company four days a week and spending one day
a week at college. Once the apprenticeship is completed, trainees may secure a permanent
position with BA or enter a higher education course.
Student case study – Advanced Apprenticeship Faye Cooper, 18, is an excellent example of a
young person who has made a success of one of the more contemporary apprenticeships –
Business Administration. She started the qualification as a full-time member of staff at the
air freight company Damco at the age of 16 where she completed her Intermediate
Apprenticeship (Level 2), then changed job and joined the skills development organisation
People First to complete her Advanced Apprenticeship (Level 3). Faye was the winner of the
Advanced Apprentice Award sponsored by Hillingdon Chamber of Commerce at Uxbridge
College’s Annual Awards 2012.
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