Apprentices work together to promote on-job training
APPRENTICES at AstraZeneca have been doing their bit to promote on-the-job training.
A team from the IT department has set its sights on success in a national competition and one of the apprentices, Lilley Deevey, was also invited to speak at the House of Commons about her journey.
The nine apprentices from the IT department have entered the Brathay Apprentice Challenge for 2017, which focuses on raising awareness of apprenticeships.
The team, which is currently in the regional heats, is made up of Charley Denny, Charlotte Lorains, Ryan Coram, Matt Pemberton, Amy Hawkyard, Rachael Calthorpe, Ellie Warburton, Isobelle Derrig and Dominic Sheratte.
If successful they will progress to the national finals where they will take part in a three-day challenge and the winners will be crowned Apprentice Team of the Year.
Amy Hawkyard, apprentices and team member, said: “Our team at AstraZeneca are engaging with schools and businesses to educate them on what apprenticeships are, why they are beneficial for the apprentice, employer and economy and where apprenticeships can be found.
“From personal experiences, we felt that when applying for apprenticeships, more support and information could have been provided to make an informed decision on what pathway was right for us and so we want to make sure that young people are made aware of other alternatives to university.
Lilley, 22, who lives in Macclesfield, was one of 10 apprentices selected to speak about their apprenticeship journey during an event at the House of Commons.
The event commended the success of apprenticeships over the last decade, aiming to encourage even more people to choose apprenticeships as a fast-track to a great career.
National Apprenticeship Week (NAW 2017) has celebrated apprenticeships, across all industries, and all levels, with the theme ‘ladder of opportunity’.
Lilley, who attended university for a year but decided it wasn’t for her, said the biggest advantage about doing an apprenticeship is the ability to learn within a supportive environment with industry leading professionals while gaining qualifications to further her career, and acknowledged that it was a difficult step to go against the norm of what her friends were doing.
She said: “Initially my parents were sceptical about apprenticeships but now they are the biggest advocates. I think the advice and the support of an employer through an apprenticeship is invaluable. I feel like it will be the making of me and it is so important to share our experiences of apprenticeships.”