Wendy Nobbs, our Director of Sales and Recruitment shares her experience of taking on an apprentice within her team.

I’ve had a long Learning and Development career within the corporate world and in my last role, I was responsible for the management of our apprentice who had recently joined the team aged 17 after dropping out of college. My initial thoughts were that they were going to be a ‘time bandit’ and someone I just need to keep occupied for a year until they completed their qualification… how wrong I was!

My work life received a fresh injection of new experiences and learning on a daily basis. I experienced youth again by seeing our business and life in general through the eyes of a 17 year old who brought modern thinking, creativity, passion and a competitive appetite for personal success. They are now responsible for delivering the training strategy for a multinational organisation.

In October 2019, Rewards Training approached me, looking for someone with my experience to drive Apprenticeships in business. I have a fantastic team, passionate about supporting their learners with their qualifications and understand the value that Apprenticeships bring to business. We provide Recruitment Services as well as delivering Apprenticeships in the Business, Hospitality and Care sectors throughout the South.

All too often, we speak to employers who say “We do not have the time or resources to invest in an apprentice.” I felt the same, I had targets to meet and didn’t need a distraction. I never considered the fact that an apprentice could help me achieve my goals and influence a change in my attitude, behaviour and aspirations, at the same time.