Partner Article

Ryan gets help to secure his apprenticeship

A young Gateshead man who was on the verge of giving up on his goal of finding an apprenticeship after two years and many failed job applications, has finally won a job.

Ryan Smith, 20, from Dunston, is elated after being taken on as an apprentice office administrator by Stannah Lift Services in Gateshead.

Ryan said he became “very disheartened” after applying for at least two apprenticeship vacancies a week over a two year period. He started his search for an apprenticeship when he left St Thomas Moore sixth form at 18, after gaining A Levels in business studies and IT.

Ryan was eventually offered an opportunity to improve his chances of winning an apprenticeship by joining a free Access to Careers course, with Access Training on the Team Valley.

The course helped Ryan to develop his interview skills and confidence and as a result Ryan managed to secure a business administration advanced apprenticeship at Stannah. The firm, which installs, maintains and repairs all types of lifts and stairlifts, are committed to apprenticeships and Ryan is the fourth apprentice Stannah Lift Services has taken on through Access Training.

Office manager, Helen Brown, said: “We interviewed quite a few young people for the apprenticeship but Ryan really stood out. He is doing well in the role; we made a good choice.

“We tend to favour taking on apprentices rather than experienced administrators because we have bespoke in-house systems that mean it is usually more efficient to train someone who will be new to the systems we use. We also tend to find that the apprentices we invest in stay loyal to the company for long periods.”

Ryan, who completed a Young Apprenticeship in business administration when he was only 16, said: “I wanted an apprenticeship because I wanted to be working and getting qualifications at the same time so I put everything in to looking for one. I did a few temporary jobs while I was trying to get an apprenticeship, to tide me over. After looking for so long, I was on the verge of giving up because the older I got, the smaller my chances of becoming an apprentice were becoming. The course with Access was just what I needed - it gave me my confidence back and showed me techniques to do well in interviews that really stuck in my mind.”

Managing director, Malcolm Armstrong, explains more: “We see lots of 16-18 year olds who would love to get an apprenticeship but aren’t quite work ready, in terms of skills and self confidence. This course was designed especially for them and gave them a distinct advantage when applying for apprenticeship vacancies. We are now building on this success to offer Traineeships throughout the region, which also include high quality work placements leading to apprenticeships.”

Access Training is an award winning training provider with offices in Gateshead and Chester-le-Street and has helped over 5,000 people start and develop careers. It offers apprenticeships at intermediate, advanced and higher levels in a wide range of occupational areas.

For information about Traineeships and Apprenticeships through Access Training call Kate Veitch on 0191 490 2377 or email info@accesstraining.org

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jill Farmer (Dobson) .