National Apprenticeship Week

An open day designed to help young people learn more about the National Apprenticeship Scheme has been hailed a success by Sanctuary Personnel, one of the region’s largest employers of apprentices.

Local people were invited to join Sanctuary at their waterfront-based offices on Tuesday as part of their celebrations for this year’s National Apprenticeship Week. The event was designed to give young people the chance to gain valuable career advice as well as learn about the wide range of apprenticeship opportunities available throughout the company.

During the event visitors took part in a practical workshop designed to boost interview and CV writing skills before speaking to a representative from Easton & Otley College about the training requirements involved in the apprenticeship scheme. There was also an opportunity for visitors to ask questions to a number of Sanctuary’s apprentices who were able to discuss their experiences.

Sanctuary currently employs over 30 apprentices (in all areas of the business) and many have gone on to enjoy hugely successful careers with the company.

One of theose who attended was 19-year old Hannah Blears from Ipswich. She said: “I really like the idea of the apprenticeships as it’s a chance to earn some money whilst still learning. I like the fact that Sanctuary have so many opportunities and I’m really interested in doing a Business & Administration apprenticeship. It was really good to speak to people about their experiences with apprenticeships during the event and I’ll definitely be applying.”

Her comments were supported by Andrew Pirie, Head of Marketing at Sanctuary Personnel who said: “It was a great opportunity for us to hear from potential apprentices about their thoughts on the process and the company itself. We know from our experience that many young people do not get given the practical help they need when preparing for interviews so this was an ideal opportunity for us to share our expertise with local people for their benefit. It’s really positive to think that we can make a difference to a young person’s career path and I hope that all of our visitors learnt a lot about how they can successfully improve their CV and interview techniques.”

He added: “We would also like to thank Easton & Otley College for coming along to the event and talking to visitors about the training aspect of the apprenticeship scheme. The event was a great success and we would definitely consider hosting a similar event later in the year.”