“I’ve grown within my role as an apprentice and also as a person”

This National Apprenticeship Week (7-13 February 2022), we’re shining a light on our brilliant apprentices and what it’s like to do an apprenticeship at our Trust.

Hear from our ambitious apprentice, Abbie, who worked her way into a clinical role from a non-clinical Admin Apprentice at the age of 16.

Are you thinking of doing an apprenticeship this year? This National Apprenticeship Week (7-13 February 2022), we’re shining a light on our brilliant apprentices and what it’s like to work in one of our fantastic teams at Berkshire Healthcare.

Apprenticeships are crucial to career development and a great steppingstone to get you on the ladder to your dream career. Whether it’s your first role, or you’d like to change career paths – apprenticeships might be just what you’re looking for.

Hear from our ambitious apprentice, Abbie, who worked her way into a clinical role from an Admin Apprentice at the age of 16.

Abbie Stares joined us back in 2019 when she was only 16, working in the Therapy Team at St Mark’s Hospital as a Level 2 Admin Apprentice. After completing her first apprenticeship, she was given the incredible opportunity to move into a clinical role in the same team as a Physiotherapy Assistant. Abbie didn’t stop there, while working as a Physiotherapy Assistant, she worked towards completing a Level 3 Senior Healthcare Support Worker apprenticeship.

What is Abbie doing now? Abbie is due to finish her Level 3 apprenticeship in the summer and has recently been promoted from a Band 2 role to a Band 3 Physiotherapy Assistant – congratulations!

An apprenticeship has helped Abbie in many ways, particularly with increasing her confidence when seeing patients. She’s able to better understand her patient’s condition and recommend treatment with ease.

She explained, “My clinical knowledge and skills have evolved since starting this apprenticeship and I understand now why certain things are done in a particular way. This apprenticeship has opened many opportunities for development, such as attending further training courses and sharing my knowledge with colleagues.”

We offer a great level of support with all our apprenticeships. Abbie was offered support from her managers and team in both apprenticeships, along with support from the apprenticeship providers, who she met up monthly and had regular catchups with to focus on her progress and review any areas she was struggling with. She expressed, “If I was unsure on something, they would always be supportive of my learning and development.”

Abbie’s future goals are to finish the Level 3 apprenticeship that will provide her with an NVQ 3. She hopes to move on to complete the Level 6 Physiotherapy Degree Apprenticeship with the same team at St Mark’s Hospital.

If you’re thinking of applying for an apprenticeship with us, Abbie recommends it:

“I would definitely recommend anyone just starting their career to apply for an apprenticeship because it opens so many new opportunities for growth, not only in your career, but also as a person. It also helps you step outside your comfort zone, which is how personal growth progresses and develops.

“I’ve grown within my role as an apprentice and also as a person working for Berkshire Healthcare.”

“I’ve grown within my role as an apprentice and also as a person”

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