Nottingham City Homes - Brathay Apprentice Challenge

The second time entering the Brathay Apprentice Challenge, Nottingham City Homes’ 2017 team of apprentices came second in the Challenge. The Challenge, run by the Brathay Trust and supported by the National Apprenticeship Service, sees teams of apprentices from across the country initially compete by reaching out to youth groups and schools to talk about the benefits of apprenticeships as well as carrying out a community project, before going through physical challenges at Brathay’s Windermere headquarters.

The team puts every spare minute into preparing for the challenge. With some impressive hurdles to overcome, the team all realised that they were capable of more than they thought and had a boost to their confidence by coming in second place. One of the members of the team was Chekera Giscombe, 22, a Level 3 Business Administration apprentice, who says: “What I learnt most from taking part in the Challenge was that I have got a voice. Throughout the experience people were asking for my opinion, even people older and more senior than me, which made me feel valued as part of the team.”

Plans for the future

Spotlight on: Leanne Dainty, for whom her apprenticeship gave her the career and confidence that changed her life

Before Leanne Dainty, 26, joined Nottingham City Homes, she had been through a number of jobs that offered no career progression. She says: “I had moved from pillar to post for much of my life – working dead-end jobs and having Type 1 diabetes that affects my day-to-day life. I finally found my feet and realised it was time to change. That’s when I applied for the apprenticeship at Nottingham City Homes.”

She continues: “When I received the call telling me I was successful, I felt ecstatic, like life was finally coming together. I was nervous at first and felt like a small fish in a big pond, but 11 months later I was named Nottingham City Homes’ Apprentice of the Year 2016.”

Leanne’s success in her apprenticeship gave her the confidence to not only join the Brathay Apprentice Challenge as a team member, but as co-team leader. She adds: “Since I started the Challenge, I’ve grown even more confident in myself and my career. I’ve given talks in schools, businesses and jobs fairs, even providing interview skills days and CV advice, which I never thought I’d be able to do, fearing the stress would affect my diabetes. As a great start to my career, my apprenticeship will help me progress in my goals – and I hope I can use the experience to empower others to overcome and barriers they may face.”

Spotlight on: Matt Gustard, who overcame drug addition to achieve a Level 2 Plumbing apprenticeship.

Matt started his apprenticeship late, having previously worked in sales and engineering roles. However, struggling with drug addiction for much of his 20s, he decided at 34 that he needed to make a serious change in his life and went into rehabilitation.

Now 37, he explains how this decision and his apprenticeship have helped change his life: “Upon leaving rehabilitation, I was very unsure what career I wanted to pursue. When volunteering at a job centre, I saw an advert for apprenticeships at Nottingham City Homes. I never thought I’d get it due to my age and personal history, but in August 2015 I got the call to say to say I had secured my apprenticeship. I was apprehensive to start a new career at my age, but have since learned so much and believe an apprenticeship is a really helpful way to begin a career, being able to put into practice what I learn in college while working with real professionals.”

[endif]--Always looking to ensure the strength of future skills within the organisation, apprenticeships allow Nottingham City Homes to have robust succession plans in place. Knowing that in five years, its heating engineers may be retiring, the apprenticeship team has been working on bringing in apprentices in this area. Additionally, a key focus for Nottingham City Homes is the creation of their own electrical and re-wiring capabilities for the properties it manages. For this, it is working to create additional electrical apprenticeships to fill the skills gap. Lisa sums up the vision for apprenticeships at Nottingham City Homes by saying: “Apprentices are the future of the business; they are where our managers will come from, so we need to start creating and training them now, ready for the future.”

Spotlight on: Alec Huckle, whose apprenticeship enabled him to enter his dream career after years of being unable to work due to a mental health issue

Alec Huckle, 24, had faced a number of challenges prior to starting his apprenticeship with Nottingham City Homes, having been out of work for three years with clinical depression. In addition, having embarked on an AAT Accounting Level 2 qualification while on Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA), Alec was forced to abandon his studies when his funding was cut. Alec says: “I was doing the grind on JSA, receiving no support in interview skills or CV-writing, when I saw the apprenticeship at Nottingham City Homes advertised. I knew it was a way I could enter the career I wanted to follow, and I was lucky enough to be successful in my application.”

Alec initially wasn’t sure if he was ready for the level of responsibility he was initially given having been out of work for so long. He was however supported in the organisation, citing the family feeling in his department. He explains: “When I joined, I was made to feel welcome, giving me the confidence to ask questions and make mistakes.”

The supportive nature of Nottingham City Homes even led Alec to join its Brathay Apprentice Challenge team, where he developed his skills further by taking responsibility for the financial side of the project. He says of his apprenticeship: “Without this apprenticeship with Nottingham City Homes, I would still be struggling to find a job without recent work experience. I’ve become more confident in the workplace and in myself.”

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