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Celebrating our apprentices past and present for National Apprentice Week

  • 10/02/2023
National Apprenticeship Week Round Up

National Apprenticeship Week, an awareness initiative to promote apprenticeships in the UK, is held between Monday February 6 – Sunday February 12 this year. We used the week to celebrate our apprentices, past and present, and highlight that apprenticeships can lead to a diverse range of professional accredited qualifications and career paths.

At GreenSquareAccord we have over 50 apprenticeship programmes available for new starters and current employees who are looking to professionally develop.

We have over 40 apprentices which are made up of both new and existing staff and we currently have 16 new apprentices working for us in teams across Care and Support, Repairs and Digital Services.

We work with our training providers to attach accreditations to some of the apprenticeship programmes we deliver. This means that the programmes we offer come with widely recognised qualifications including:

  • Achievement Measure 2 by NET (AM2)
  • Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD)
  • Association of Chartered Certified Accountants/Association of Accounting Technicians (ACCA/AAT)
  • Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
  • Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)
  • Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH)
  • NVQs/Diplomas

Apprenticeships are available across many industries and key job roles, with a number of these accredited by charted institutes. One example is Sunny Sandhu who studied for a Level 2 Apprenticeship in Housing and Property Management with the CIH after a career break.

Commenting on her experience of part-time study, Assistant Housing Officer Sunny Sandhu said “My apprenticeship gave me so much confidence to grow and I feel more driven than ever to develop my career. I learnt a lot during the 18 month-long course and would say to anyone considering further study “don’t be afraid to start again!”

People can join our Apprentice Programmes at two apprenticeship levels:

  • Intermediate and Advanced (15 – 24 months apprenticeship)
  • Higher Degree (36 – 60 months apprenticeship)

In 2016, Jared Edward, our Training and Quality Coordinator kick-started his career with a Level 2 Apprenticeship. Jared said: “I decided to study the Learndirect Customer Services Level 2 as I loved the idea of being able to learn and earn. Being an apprentice allowed me to have a pressure-free introduction to the company and to find my feet. My apprenticeship has opened up so many opportunities throughout my career so far.”

We offer a diverse suite of apprenticeships in the following teams to support our workforce development:

  • HR
  • Care and Support
  • Digital Services
  • Management and Business Services
  • Property Maintenance
  • Construction/Building Services
  • Accounting and Finance
  • Customer Services
  • Marketing
  • Housing
  • Procurement
  • Quality and Compliance

Care and Support Business Development Project Coordinator, Charlie Jones who joined us straight from college on a Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeship said: “Prior to starting my apprenticeship I had never had a job, so I had no real experience in the workplace. However, due to the huge amount of support consistently provided by colleagues throughout my course, I was able to really thrive in my apprenticeship and ultimately, earn a Distinction in April 2020.”

We also have many colleagues that completed apprenticeships before they joined GSA and whose skills we utilise every day. One example is our Group Electrical Manager, Ricky Smith who started his career on an apprenticeship and has since progressed and helped to train apprentices at GreenSquareAccord.

Ricky said: “Many years ago, I completed an NVQ Level 3 advanced apprenticeship in Electrical Installation which meant I spent one day in the classroom and four days on the job. Once I had completed the course, I got a job as an Electrician, and I then progressed to an Electrical Site Supervisor. Yes, I did my apprenticeship long before I joined GSA, but I’m happy to have been able to develop and help several apprentices qualify in my time here and will continue to do so”

Reflecting on GSA’s role as an employer during National Apprenticeship Week, Dee Kumari, Apprenticeship, Volunteer, Work Placement Coordinator said: “The theme for National Apprenticeship Week this year is ‘Skills for Life’ and we are using this opportunity to shine a light on our apprentices past and present. Over the years, as an organisation we have benefited hugely from the skills and experience which apprenticeships impart and it is right to recognise the invaluable contribution which our apprentices make.

“We are proud to employ over 40 apprentices and to offer more than 50 different apprenticeship programmes available for new recruits or current colleagues who are looking to boost their skills.”

Visit the jobs section of our website to see if we have any apprenticeship vacancies.

For more information on our apprenticeship programme contact recruitment.mailbox@greensquareaccord.co.uk