National Apprenticeship Week: Amanda Smith is Learning ‘Skills for Life’

National Apprenticeship Week is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate and promote Apprenticeships across our organisation, as well as share incredible stories on our social media channels. This week we will be celebrating our apprentices, and their passion for learning that will help kick-start their careers.

The theme for this year is Skills for Life, focusing on how apprenticeships can help individuals develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career.

Someone who is an excellent example of this is our Carpentry Trainee Amanda Smith, who joined us in 2019 as part of our programme, funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority, to uplift women into construction.

After a three-year apprenticeship, we were delighted to offer Amanda a trainee position within our Carpentry Team to continue her journey with us to become a qualified carpenter.

We spoke to Amanda about her journey so far, and she told us:

"When I passed my apprenticeship and qualified for a trainee position, I was over the moon and very proud of myself. My apprenticeship journey has been challenging, but it's also been rewarding. There have been unexpected obstacles, including the lockdown, when my training was put on pause.

But now I'm pleased to be back on the job, learning new skills and speaking to customers and colleagues. I’m improving my relationship skills and knowledge about the trade as much as possible.

whg has been very supportive and has offered me the opportunity to learn skills for life that will someday help me to achieve my goal of becoming a fully qualified carpenter.

Over the next few years, I hope to gain even more skills as a carpenter, securing a permanent position with whg."

We're passionate about bringing in and nurturing new talent in all areas of our organisation. And through our partnerships, like Lovell Partnerships Ltd, we can provide valuable training to help apprentices on their career path.

We're proud to see Amanda's success so far. She'll be a fantastic addition to our carpentry team, and we can't wait to see what she does next.