An apprenticeship was the perfect springboard for Fay's career...
Warwickshire County Council has long been passionately committed to apprenticeships. Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week (February 7 to 13) WCC Lead Commissioner for Employability and Skills, Fay Winterburn explains how much she owes to the apprenticeship that kick-started her career.
In the ever-changing world of skills, apprenticeships are no stranger to change, and without doubt there will be further changes in the future.
But for anything to remain relevant, it must change or, should we say, “evolve” - and the brilliant concept of apprenticeships has always done that. That's why it remains among the most effective means of channelling and training new talent into employment.
Amongst many different programmes and initiatives, apprenticeships have long been a consistent and invaluable means for businesses to grow their own talent. Funding streams sometimes change, but the important role that apprenticeships play in recruiting and developing your own talent remains constant.
Throughout my 20-year career (yes I am that old!) I could share with you countless different stories of people who were given the opportunity to train that way and quickly became invaluable to their new employer. Did you know an apprentice can significantly increase productivity within six months? Not many investments in business deliver such a great return on investment!
The story I’d like to share though is my own...
In my last year of school I became ill with glandular fever and my education was massively hit. I sat my GCSEs at home and couldn’t follow the path I so badly wanted to follow. My dream was to be a physiotherapist, but it wasn’t meant to be. The last few years of study were so difficult that I didn’t follow many of my friends to university, in fact I had no idea what I wanted to do but I had an overwhelming urge to get out there and find out.
One of my very first roles was at AW Precision, in Rugby, as a sales co-ordinator. They were a family-run business and invested in their staff. Quite early on we discovered that my “chatty” personality, which didn’t work well for me at school (I can still hear the teachers: “Fay, stop talking!”) was actually working really well for me in a work environment and helping me to establish myself in my role.
Quite soon on I agreed to do some training, there was some funding available so why not? And before I knew it, I was the company's new Sales and Marketing apprentice.
Whilst I was a bit apprehensive about jumping back into learning I was assured that this was something I could do alongside my day job...and do you know, it was!
I threw myself into my portfolio work. I gathered evidence of my work during the day and really enjoyed pulling it all together (this is where my love for colourful sticky notes and scribble pads came from!). When I think back to my apprenticeship, I can see all the key learning I have taken with me on my career journey. Planning, time management, communication and overcoming barriers were all units in my apprenticeship and valuable skills that I now use every day. As Lead Commissioner for Employability and Skills, my daily tasks are predominantly about evidencing and overcoming barriers.
As a 'win win,' I now lead a service where I can not only share my own learning with my team (many of whom, like Chloe and Adele, themselves benefited from apprenticeships) but also help encourage businesses to incorporate apprenticeships as part of how they recruit and help shape their leaders of tomorrow. Wouldn’t Apprenticeship Week be a great place for you to start the conversation?
During National Apprenticeship Week we will have a wide have a variety of activities planned to complement all our ongoing work including a National Apprenticeship Week webinar. For more information about apprenticeships please see our Apprenticeship directory
Meanwhile, elsewhere in this edition of Warwickshire Means Business, we pass on the excellent news of further funding of the very successful Apprenticeship Levy share programme.