As part of our Apprenticeship Programme, we have committed to strengthening our internal Ambassador Network. The aim of the programme is that all Brother apprentice ambassadors work within our community to positively promote their successful apprenticeship journey.
All our apprentices both current and past are committed to “paying it forward” and sharing their experiences with other students considering their career pathways. They continue to go our to schools, colleges and other local events to share their journeys and offer advice and guidance.
My apprenticeship at Brother UK has not only built my confidence massively, it has also allowed me to step out of my comfort zone. The main thing I have gained from my apprenticeship is confidence and i feel this is one of the most important factors for your future career.
Apprenticeships are an excellent way to learn like you would in education but instead you're working in an office environment.
- Caitlyn Bloor, Marketing Development Apprentice
Having been shortlisted for Apprentice of the Year, Gemmer Crozier was invited to give a keynote speech about her apprenticeship experience to an audience of 350 businesses, training providers, public sector organisations and charities regarding her apprenticeship journey.
The purpose of Gemmer attending this event as the leader of our Apprenticeship Ambassador Programme was to raise awareness and successfully promote apprenticeships by explaining the positive impact they have on businesses and individuals. By sharing her journey, she showed that an apprenticeship can be a great start to a future career and hopefully encouraged others to take up an apprenticeship.
Gemmer’s speech was such a success that other businesses and training providers have now approached her to visit them and discuss the impact an apprenticeship can have.
Wayne and Chloe. Father and daughter. Engineer and digital marketer. Apprentices from different generations. Advocates of workplace learning. Believers that professional skills are as valuable as academic qualifications. Believers too that the structure of an apprenticeship and the culture of the company delivering it is as important as the training.
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Gemmer Crozier attended St Ambrose Barlow RC High in Swinton where she shared her apprenticeship journey with 200 year nine students. She also got the chance to take part in a round table event with Minister of State Anne Milton (Department for Education) to discuss the government’s support of apprenticeships.
Isobel Hall, 20, wakes to another day in the career she’d wanted since before leaving school. Confident, engaging and blessed with a smile that would place even the most anxious recruit at ease, she is often the first person new starters meet as they begin a career with Brother UK.
The BOSS Federation held a Leaders of the Future Conference in London to encourage employers to develop apprenticeship programmes. Aaron Hopkinson co-hosted the conference as part of his committee membership. Our Junior Digital Marketing Assistant, Jessica Wilbraham also attended.They networked and shared their experiences with fellow members.
During National Apprenticeship Week, we went all out to promote the benefits of apprenticeships to both employees and employers, engaging both young people and the business community. Our own apprentice colleagues shared their inspirational stories on social media and visited four local schools to discuss their experiences with pupils.
The sessions attended by the apprentices covered topics such as how to access apprenticeships and what employers look for in potential apprenticeship candidates. The visits were also part of our Big Brother Mentoring programme, which contributes to the personal development of young people aged between 14 and 16, giving them practical skills to make them more employable in the long term.
A showcase network event saw our sustainable development coordinator, Gemmer Crozier, one of the longest-serving ambassadors, give a passionate insight into her apprenticeship journey and how the programme helped her career develop to an audience including the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.
