Apprenticeships aren’t just for employees starting out on their career. Through the Apprenticeship Levy, many employers, like Landmarc, are able to access the fund to help upskill existing members of their team.
People just like Gary Ford; a Training Area Team Leader at Pirbright ranges who is currently undertaking management training to provide him with a host of skills to help manage and develop his own team further.
As this week is National Apprenticeship Week 2018, we asked Gary to share his thoughts on the benefits of continuous learning. Here’s what he had to say…
“In my role as a Training Area Team Leader, I’m responsible for the range team here at Pirbright in Surrey – assigning staff to tasks, planning preventative maintenance and dealing with personnel issues such as appraisals, to name a few.
“With the support of a great team, it’s a job that I really enjoy. The team has a really positive attitude and are willing to rise to any challenges that are put before them.
“However, I like to think that in life, you should never stop learning and so, when Landmarc offered me the opportunity to gain a new management qualification, while still doing my ‘day job’, I jumped at the chance.
“I’m currently four months in to an 18-month IML3 course in leadership and management, which is teaching me a range of new skills and methodologies to help me improve my own knowledge – and get the best out of my team.
“It’s hard work and you have to put the time and effort in, but the rewards make it all worthwhile. I have lots of assessments to complete remotely but I also get the chance to attend group meetings each month, which is a great way to ask questions and share experiences with other people going through the same training.
“I’m lucky that my employer allows me time off and will finance the course to help improve my skills. It really is a win-win situation.”
