Wednesday, March 8, 2017

News: Apprenticeship Week at RNN Group

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A number of events are taking place this Apprenticeship Week to highlight the benefits of apprenticeships to local students and businesses.

The tenth annual National Apprenticeship Week highlights the success of apprenticeships over the last decade, celebrating the positive impact on individuals, businesses and the economy, with the theme "ladder of opportunity."

Property repairs and maintenance specialist, Fortem and Rotherham Council attended an event at the RNN Group's Rotherham campus where they talked to students and took applications for apprenticeships or work experience.

RNN Training, the arm of the RNN Group that delivers apprenticeships and training solutions to local businesses, has also been out and about giving apprenticeship advice (and chocolate!) to employers.

As part of National Apprenticeship Week 2017, RNN Training asked employers to nominate apprentices that they felt deserved recognition. The colleges also have a number of Apprenticeship Advocates that explain the routes, benefits and experiences.

One advocate is Jordan Edwards, who completed his GCSEs at Rawmarsh Community School but was unsure which career path to take. After a stint in the retail industry, he opted to pursue his passion for graphic design.

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After attending an employment event at Rotherham United's New York Stadium, where he spoke to Charlie Grayson, who is part of the Services to Business team at Rotherham College, he visited the College's website to view current apprenticeship vacancies.

Jordan applied for an apprenticeship in graphic design, where he secured a position at Rawmarsh-based Secprint – one of the UK's leading suppliers of promotional stationery for the leisure and entertainment industry, specialising in event ticket printing and the production of security tickets for almost ten years. He enrolled on the Level 2 Art and Design Apprenticeship, later progressing on to the Level 3 in Graphic Design.

He worked for his employer four days a week and trained at College one day a week, enhancing his knowledge of graphic design and learning the theory behind good design.

Jordan (pictured) said: "It helped a lot having a good balance of academic learning in the classroom and practical learning in the workplace.

"There's an old perception about apprenticeships that you'll just be making endless amounts of cups of tea – that certainly wasn't the case at Secprint. I was working with industry-experienced staff who delegated more and more responsibility over to me as my skills and experience increased.

"At College, I've learned a lot of software based skills and linked designs to well-known designers. I'm currently learning how to use Adobe Illustrator, which I know is a skill I'll need for the future.

"At work, I've learned a lot about the digital printing side, but also other skills such as software design, time management and customer services skills, giving me the sought after skills employers are looking for."

RNN Training website

Images: RNN Group


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