Contrary to popular belief, apprenticeships aren’t just restricted to school leavers. Management and leadership apprenticeships are opening opportunities for people of all ages and are as much about developing professional skills as kick-starting a new career.
For Communications Advisor, Simon Towers, it will give him the chance to build on the skills he already has and develop knowledge in a different area.
The 43-year-old, from Dronfield in Derbyshire, had been working within the communications team at Chesterfield Royal Hospital Trust for 11 years when his employers offered him the opportunity to study an Introduction to Line Management Level 3 apprenticeship. He’s now part way through the 18-month course which he is carrying out with the support of Learning Unlimited, part of the Chesterfield College Group.
Without a formal qualification in leadership, this nationally recognised qualification will give him the opportunity to develop new skills in leadership and management, whilst also progressing his role within the organisation.
The dad-of-two explained: “The course explores different methods of management and in terms of work allows me to look at different ways of working. Surprisingly, it hasn’t created additional work as such, as the theory and the practical studies complements what I do at work rather than create extra work.”
“It has so far given me the chance to step back and look at how I work, how my actions affect the behaviours of others and how I can work differently. It’s given me a new found motivation at work too.”
He began the course in the lead up to Christmas during a particularly busy period, both at work and at home, so he could have found juggling his home-work-life balance a little tricky.
“At the beginning I was doing a lot of theory and working into the evening,” he admitted. “It was a bit daunting at the start. Fortunately though, I was given time during work hours to study and I’ve found that it works well. The course has been a positive thing for me. I feel more confident in my role and abilities as the course has taken me out of my comfort zone; it’s shown me that I can tackle some of the more challenging aspects of my role that I might previously have found more difficult.”
And, he says, he’s found a way to manage his busy work life and study while still doing the normal day to day things that fill the rest of his life including spending time with his children, playing football and catching up with friends.
“You don’t have much time for hobbies when you have young children but even with my study time I still manage to find time for football and catch up with friends. In the meantime, the course has given me so many opportunities to develop my skills and will help me progress my career. It’s making me a more effective member of the team and altered the way that I approach work. It’s given me a new found motivation and I look at things in a different way already.”
Find out more about Management and Leadership training by calling the Learning Unlimited team on 0345 850 1055.