This week (5-11 February 2024) is National Apprenticeship Week which aims to bring together everyone to celebrate the value, benefit and opportunity that apprentices bring.
The theme for 2024 is “Skills for Life” which focusses on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career, and how employers can develop a workforce with future ready skills.
At Jigsaw Homes, we currently have 33 apprentices working across the Group in departments including Finance, Asset Management, Development and Neighbourhoods.
One of those apprentices is 18-year-old Kalum Rathbone who is working towards becoming a qualified electrician, while studying an MVQ at Wigan and Leigh College. He started in July 2022 and works with the voids team changing and swapping accessories such as plug sockets and switches, alongside other tasks to help with his qualification.
He said: “I decided to do an apprenticeship because I have always been active, and like working with my hands and am a good visual learner. I like feeling that I have accomplished something.
“I have learnt a lot about electrics; having aspects of safe isolation and testing, how to wire circuits and also making sure I have the correct equipment and PPE necessary to compete my job. It’s also about meeting new people and gaining better people skills.”
Thomas Mackowiak is our Risk and Audit Administrator and recently passed his apprenticeship in Business Administration. He is responsible for co-ordinating internal audits and managing the audit schedule as well as assisting in financial, operational and compliance audit testing within the Group and following up on any recommendations.
He said: “During the course of my year-long apprenticeship, I enjoyed the hands-on learning and the opportunity to apply what I had learned. Working with experienced professionals provided me with invaluable knowledge that I would not have got from being in a classroom environment. I was able to take on challenging tasks, grow from mistakes, and develop both personally and professionally.
“Working closely with the team and mentors gave me the chance to contribute to projects, share knowledge and communicate clearly and made the apprenticeship a fulfilling and rewarding experience.”
Keep an eye on our careers page for more apprenticeship opportunities coming soon.
