Joe Dickinson – Housing Apprentice (Level 2)
Joe is currently undertaking his Housing Apprenticeship Level 2 and has spent just over 12 months with Wigan & Leigh Housing. He began his career at ProCo as a Young Apprentice whilst at school and gained his Level 1 in Business Administration. Joe now works at a local Housing Office dealing directly with tenants and a wide variety of tasks. ‘A typical day involves seeing tenants, booking in house repairs and helping tenants with viewing new properties’ comments Joe. ‘Each day varies so much and I come across so many different situations that it makes the job really interesting. I have also moved around the company and gained experience of working in different departments which has helped me in the role I do now’
ProCo has supported Joe on his journey through his Level 1 in Business Admin and now his Level 2 in Housing. Ann Woodall, Business Services Manager at ProCo adds ‘Joe is a great example of how an Apprenticeship pathway can really help young people climb the career ladder and gain great qualifications. With so many different types of programmes available, it makes Apprenticeships a real credible career choice’.
Joe has gained plenty of experience not just through his Apprenticeship programme, but also through the support of his employer which he feels will help him in the future. ‘I would recommend Apprenticeship Programmes as a valuable career option as it provides plenty of real-life experiences and good qualifications.’
Kirsty Biggins – Business & Administration Apprentice (Level 3)
Kirsty is employed as Business Admin Support at ProCo and splits her time between two departments. She has been employed at ProCo for 6 months and joined after completing college in June 2010.
‘Being split between two very different departments is very challenging, and I have learnt so much in such a small amount of time. I get involved in dealing with Apprenticeship applications, handling CV’s, typing letters, creating information packs to be sent out to potential employers and also attendance timesheets for Foundation Learning students’ comments Kirsty ‘I enjoy learning whilst gaining a weekly wage!’
Donna Hampshire, Sales and Marketing Manager at ProCo adds ‘Having an Apprentice is a real added value to my department. Kirsty was selected from a great calibre of learners who applied for the post, and it was great to see so many young people who were keen and interested in undertaking an Apprenticeship programme. Also, as an Apprenticeship provider, we need to fly the flag in promoting Apprenticeships to employers and having our very own Apprentice is the best way of doing this.’
ProCo offer Apprenticeships in Business & Administration, Customer Services, Housing, Engineering, Motor Vehicle, Animal Care, Retail, Accountancy and Veterinary Nursing. For more information, contact the Marketing team on 01942 488500.
