We are celebrating the upcoming National Apprenticeship Week with the news that our Apprentice Charlie Moore is the first person in the UK to successfully complete the Fish Husbandry and Fisheries Management Apprenticeship.
Lantra, the UK’s Sector Skills Council for land-based and environmental industries, confirmed Charlie’s achievement in completing the Level 2 programme in 18 months which included two qualifications: Certificate in Fish Husbandry and a Diploma in Work-based Fish Husbandry and Fisheries Management.
Charlie’s employer, the charity Get Hooked on Fishing, were one of the first to enrol on to the new Apprenticeship Programme. Project Manager James Thornhill, himself a Sparsholt graduate, recognised the Apprenticeship provided an opportunity for then-volunteer Charlie to gain employment and training.
Commenting on the huge benefit the Apprenticeship has given the charity and Charlie, James said: “To create employment has been really rewarding and to see Charlie develop and grow has been great. He has been supported into work with training, and we’ve now offered him a fully paid contract as an Assistant Project Manager.”
Charlie is equally happy and would recommend an Apprenticeship: “You’re getting money and experience while you’re learning. It’s a head start, a real advantage and I now have a permanent role as Assistant Project Manager. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the Apprenticeship experience.”
National Apprenticeship Week is an annual celebration of Apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy. The campaign aims to get more small businesses to take on Apprentices, promote the range and breadth of Apprenticeships on offer (currently 1500 in more than 170 industries) and to celebrate Apprenticeships and the level of success that learners can achieve.
James from Get Hooked on Fishing has confirmed he would definitely employ another Apprentice saying: “To have the support of the College and all their experience was fantastic. The level of interaction was brilliant and the regular visits helped me, as Charlie’s mentor, to stay informed and involved.”
More and more employers are making Apprentices an essential part of their business growth, seeing improvements in productivity and building the skills they need to make their businesses grow. Great Apprentices really do make great businesses: 96% of those with an Apprentice report benefits to their business.