National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) takes place between 5 to 11 February 2024 and is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of apprentices around the country and the positive impact they make to communities, businesses, and the wider economy.
The theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2024 is ‘Skills For Life’.
At Rykneld Homes, we want to empower our staff to develop their careers, reach their potential and gain 'Skills for Life'.
We currently have seven employees studying towards Apprenticeships whilst receiving on the job training and experience.
The Apprenticeships our staff are currently undertaking range from Joinery to Finance, Painting and Decorating to Customer Services and Electrical to Administration.
'I've never looked back'
We caught up with our Apprentice Joiner - Richard Garlick - who is nearing the end of his Apprenticeship, to find out his experiences. At 44 years of age, Richard has gained a wealth of experience working in different sectors all over the country but when he came to Rykneld Homes, he was keen to develop those skills and applied for the Joinery Apprenticeship when it was advertised.
Q. Why did you choose to undertake an Apprenticeship?
"I was approached by my Supervisor at Rykneld Homes and asked if I was interested in Joinery and would like to make a career out of it. A job was advertised and I went for it. I was lucky enough to get it. I started at Sheffield College on the City Campus and I’ve never looked back really. It’s been an absolute game changer. Just working with something you’ve always wanted to do and at my age – at 44 – there are not many opportunities to get that."
Q. What are your experiences of undertaking an Apprenticeship?
"I’ve had to re-sit my maths and English – it’s called Functional Skills and it’s a qualification which a lot of people are looking for. The entire course has been fantastic, the lecturers have been brilliant, Rykneld’s been brilliant. Only a few months ago I was asked if I wanted to go out on my own, my supervisor said you need to build your confidence. I said yes bring it on and here we are now.
In May I have the end point assessment then there’s a 45-minute multiple choice exam. Finally there's an hour exam which is an interview with an assessor on Zoom meetings going into detail on how you fit a staircase, build a truss roof, pipe boxing, hanging doors, handrails and also covers the legislation and the legal side of things in relation to Health and Safety.
How the college runs is brilliant, the support they give you and the support that Rykneld has given is pretty impressive.
Apprenticeship Careers Fair at Chesterfield College
Tuesday 6 February 2024
10.30am - 2.30pm
Chesterfield College
As part of National Apprenticeship Week 2024, we are attending the Apprenticeship Careers Fair at Chesterfield College.
This event will celebrate apprenticeships and share success stories of the apprentices.
There will be employers from different sectors in attendance at the event. We are looking forward to speaking to current students at the college and discuss future Apprenticeship opportunities.
