At Heart of England Training, we love celebrating the achievements of our learners and seeing the difference an apprenticeship can make to both their professional and personal development.
For Morgan, Charlie and Lacy, their apprenticeship journeys at Castle Wood have provided valuable hands-on experience, helped them build confidence and given them a clearer vision of their future careers in education.
At three different stages of their apprenticeships, it was great to hear their experiences and how they’ve applied their learning to their development.
Watch each interview here and read on below.
Morgan: Building confidence through hands-on experience
Morgan chose to complete an apprenticeship because she wanted the opportunity to gain practical experience alongside working towards a qualification.
Throughout her apprenticeship, Morgan has developed her knowledge and understanding of working with children, while learning how to adapt to different situations and recognise different behaviours.
For Morgan, one of the biggest benefits has been the opportunity to put her learning into practice in the workplace.
“Being here with the children is so nice,” Morgan explained, highlighting how much she enjoys gaining experience in a real school environment.
Her apprenticeship has also helped her grow in confidence. Morgan described herself as someone who had always been quite shy, but said that her experience at Castle Wood has helped her become more confident and chatty.
Looking ahead, Morgan hopes to continue developing her career within education, with aspirations of eventually progressing into a pastoral leadership role.
Charlie: Turning a passion for working with children into a career
At just 19, Charlie already knew that he wanted to work with children, describing himself as passionate about working in education.
His Teaching Assistant apprenticeship has given him the opportunity to gain an insight into the many different aspects of working in a school — including some of the things that happen behind the scenes.
Charlie has particularly enjoyed developing his understanding of the wider school environment and learning more about how schools support children and work with families.
For him, one of the biggest advantages of an apprenticeship is being able to learn while gaining experience in the workplace and working towards a qualification.
Charlie also praised the support he receives at Castle Wood, explaining that he feels able to ask questions whenever he needs to and knows that people are there to support him.
His experience has given him ambitions for the future, with Charlie hoping to continue progressing in education and eventually step up into a Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) role.
Lacy: Discovering a passion for teaching
For Lacy, her apprenticeship journey has helped her discover exactly where she wants her career to go.
Starting her apprenticeship in 2023 and completing it midway through 2024, Lacy found that the hands-on nature of the programme suited the way she learns.
Rather than simply learning through writing things down, Lacy was able to develop her knowledge by experiencing situations first-hand and then putting her learning into practice.
“I learnt it’s very hands-on,” Lacy explained, adding that being hands-on with her role made her fall in love with the job and motivated her to progress further.
During her apprenticeship, Lacy spent time working in the classroom and developed her understanding of different behaviours and the range of situations that can arise within a school environment.
The experience also helped her understand the many different roles and responsibilities involved in working within a school.
When Lacy first started her apprenticeship, she wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to do in the future. Now, her experience has given her a clear ambition.
“I wanna be a teacher for the rest of my life,” she said.
A bright future in education
Morgan, Charlie and Lacy’s journeys demonstrate the many ways an apprenticeship can support learners to develop their skills, confidence and career aspirations.
By combining learning with real workplace experience, each learner has been able to apply their knowledge in a practical environment while developing a deeper understanding of working with children and young people.
Their stories are a fantastic example of how an apprenticeship can open doors, build confidence and help learners discover where they want their career to take them.
We’re incredibly proud of Morgan, Charlie and Lacy and look forward to seeing what they achieve next! 🌟
