It’s National Apprenticeship Week, so what better time to reflect on Commercial’s commitment to this excellent form of on-the-job training.

Andrew Gamble is a former apprentice, now working as a Team Leader at Commercial IT Services’ Network Operations Centre. He says apprenticeships deliver positive impact:

“It’s definitely beneficial to a business. Apprentices have transferrable skills rather than theoretical knowledge alone. You can help an apprentice develop into a well-rounded, highly valued member of the team with a good depth and breadth of practical expertise.”

Today, Andrew has an apprentice of his own, Harvey Parker-Allen. As well as learning new skills in the workplace, Harvey is enrolled on Baltic Training’s Level 3 Infrastructure Technician Programme which provides a structural framework for his training.

Andrew says Harvey’s technical knowledge, interpersonal skills and confidence on the phone have all improved significantly. After spending time shadowing others when he first started, Harvey is now able to use his own initiative to complete his work confidently and independently.

Harvey speaks enthusiastically about the benefits of being an apprentice: “I’ve learned far more than I thought I would. Not only has my knowledge of IT grown, I’ve also learnt other skills from my colleagues, like how to communicate with customers and prioritising issues, which has improved my confidence. I think I’ve progressed more in these last six months than I would have at college or university. It’s mainly down to putting what you’ve learnt into action straight away, and constantly applying your knowledge.”

Our Head of HR, Jenny Hodgson, strongly supports apprenticeships, believing they benefit employee and employer alike.

“We have six apprentices at the moment, across several business divisions,” Jenny explains. “Apprenticeships are definitely something I am an advocate of; our apprentices bring new and fresh ideas into the business, work hard to develop their skills and add value to their department. Many of our former apprentices have gone on to achieve excellent career progression.”