Ladder for the Black Country: Apprentices climb to success

And almost four years since it began the legacy of the The Express & Star’s flagship Ladder for the Black Country apprenticeship lives on.

Employers small, medium, and big, have come on board creating hundreds of opportunities for young people.

Now those apprentices are enjoying rewarding careers in a wide range of different industries while new apprenticeships continue to be created by businesses benefitting from fresh talent.

The idea for the campaign started when the Duke of York visited Walsall Studio School and had a conversation with Kevin Davis, chief executive of the Vine Trust.

That led to a delegation from the Express & Star, training provider Performance Through People (PTP), the Vine Trust, and local authorities to Buckingham Palace for a meeting.

The Ladder for the Black Country was then born, launched in September 2014 and expanded to include the Ladder for Staffordshire and the Ladder for Shropshire.

So far 1,400 apprenticeship opportunities have been created in the Black Country alone with more than 300 employers getting involved in the scheme which continues to grow.

Among those who have benefited from the Ladder project was Stephanie Lloyd, aged 23, from Wolverhampton who says she owes her parents a heap of gratitude for starting her on the ladder to an impressive career in accounting.

Not only did they advise her on the course to take at college, they also steered her towards an apprenticeship after spotting details of the Ladder for the Black Country apprenticeship scheme in the newspaper.

Stephanie became the first apprentice to be taken on under the innovative scheme, landing a treasury role with food and drink wholesaler, A.F. Blakemore.

“I relied very heavily on the advice of my parents,” said Stephanie. “They thought a business qualification would give me a good starting point for a career, so I completed a Level 3 BTEC Diploma in Business at Wolverhampton College.

“I found I really connected with the accountancy module on the course and decided this was the direction I wanted to take my career, but employers wanted experienced applicants for any accountancy-based roles and I lacked any hands-on knowledge.”

Stephanie’s father found details of the apprenticeship scheme and encouraged her to call. Following an initial interview with Midlands-based training provider Performance through People (PTP), Stephanie was offered an interview the very next day with A.F. Blakemore and started work the following Monday.

She now works as a Management Accounts Assistant and spends half a day each week at PTP’s Wolverhampton training centre to complete a Level 4 AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting.

“I really do have my parents to thank for setting me on this course,” continued Stephanie.“I think they were a little surprised when I said I wanted to pursue accounting as a career, as I can be a bit disorganised at home, but I love the responsibility of my role.

“The apprenticeship route has definitely worked for me. I haven’t failed an exam yet –and that says a lot for the training received through PTP.

“I would ideally like to continue my training to CIMA level, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. It means a few more years of study, but with the backing of A.F. Blakemore and PTP I know it is achievable.”

When life throws you a curve ball plans have to change, as Shereen O’Driscoll discovered when she became pregnant at 19-years-old.

Shereen had to put thoughts of university on hold while she devoted her time and energy into bringing up her now eight-year-old son Theo, and seven-year-old Sienna. However, Shereen was still passionate about having a career and signed up for a West Midlands Ambulance Service apprenticeship through the Ladder for the Black Country scheme.

Shereen, 28, said: “I love being a mum but it meant putting my career on hold, as I didn’t have time for studying and gaining qualifications. It was hard to admit that I wouldn’t be able to go to university, but I still wanted to have an interesting career. I looked on the NHS jobs website and found out about the Ladder project. My qualifications could be done with Performance Through People while I worked. There was an apprenticeship with the Patient Transport Service, which doesn’t deal with emergencies, and I thought it sounded perfect.”

Shereen did her NVQ Levels 2 and 3 in healthcare support services with Performance Through People (PTP) and said she was able to fit studying around her family. “My assessor at PTP was brilliant – I could email her anytime and she would be able to explain things to me.

"I really enjoy my job but I hurt my arm a few months ago and now I’m in the control room in Coventry. Once my arm is better I will go back out with the ambulances, as I miss it.

"However, it is a good experience being in the control room. People think it must be easy to be sat at the computer taking calls but it is hard work – it has opened my eyes to the stress they have to deal with.”

In 2016 Shereen, along with other Ladder apprentices, had the chance to go to St James’s Palace in London and meet the Duke of York, Prince Andrew. “It was an amazing experience,” said Shereen.

“I love working with the NHS, and I’m proud to be part of the West Midlands Ambulance Service, which helps so many people every day. As an apprentice you don’t get a lot of money – but you do receive some fantastic recognition and it makes you feel good about what you are doing.”

It can be hard to trust your instincts, but for one Burntwood apprentice taking the leap of faith into the world of steel, his instincts were spot on.

Nathan Hitchcock started working for Steel Processing Midlands Ltd through the Ladder project after quitting college. He began in the warehouse almost three years ago and has since worked up to a position where he manages the company’s transport department.

Nathan, 21, said it was hard to turn his back on college and decide to go down a completely different route.

“I went to Chase Terrace High and tried it in the sixth form, but it wasn’t for me,” said Nathan. “I also tried college and just didn’t take to it and left after one year.

"I felt dejected because I thought I wouldn’t be able to fit in anywhere and progress. I worked at Argos for around a year as a general picker and it was then that I started looking online at apprenticeships.

“I applied and had a phone call with an advisor at Performance Through People. They asked me to come and see them as they said they had something for me, working in the warehouse at Steel Processing Midlands.”

Nathan said he started off in the warehouse, working with the forklift truck operators, but it wasn’t long before he was asking for a more challenging role. He asked if he could work in the office, and they gave him a role managing the lorries that enter the warehouse. “I have completed my NVQ Level 2 in Warehouse and Storage, and I’ve nearly completed my Level 3,” he said. “It was great that I was able to talk to my employer about moving to a different type of work and that I had those chances.

“Apprenticeships are great for young people, you don’t get a full wage while you are training but this is actually good because your employer then has the money to devote to getting you to where you want to go. My parents are really pleased because they have seen a big difference in me. It makes you more confident and more mature because you manage your life differently according to work and the wage you receive. I have regular meetings where I’m told how I need to improve, but I also hear lots of good things – it makes you want to work harder to keep hearing those good things.”

Rob Colbourne, managing director of PTP, said he was pleased by the success of the Ladder scheme which is still going strong.

“Almost four years on from the launch of the Ladder initiative, we are delighted to see how it has grown and helped so many young people to find the right apprenticeship to start their career.

"We continue to be impressed by the enthusiasm and desire to learn of the apprentices we train, and by the commitment their employers show to developing skilled staff.

"As the region looks to bridge the skills gaps in our workforce, we believe apprenticeships can be a significant part of the solution.

"We look forward to continuing to work with our partners to develop the Ladder to reach even more businesses and potential apprentices," he added.