Navigating the Health & Social Care industry through an Apprenticeship

Tom O’Hara, 22, is currently working on an NVQ Level 3 in Health & Social Care qualification with East Sussex College as an apprentice for a charity called Parchment Trust.

Getting started with an apprenticeship journey has the potential to be transformative, offering not just theoretical knowledge but also valuable hands-on experience. Tom spoke to the College about his current role at the Parchment Trust charity and how his Apprenticeship opportunity came about.

“I got the opportunity to do this apprenticeship through the charity I work for called Parchment Trust,” said Tom. “The charity was set up to enable people with learning disabilities to reach their full potential and live fulfilling lives by coming to our centres located at Theaklen Drive and Friary Gardens on the ridge.

“Parchment gives our service users the opportunity to work towards person centred goals while also providing an amazing place to socialise and learn new skills to help them to become as independent as possible.”

The ability to earn while gaining practical experience makes apprenticeships a valuable and practical choice for career development. Tom emphasised the many benefits of doing an apprenticeship.

“I really am enjoying my apprenticeship and I feel like I’ve learnt a lot about the ways in which I can continuously improve in the way I work and in my career path,” Tom said. “It has helped me to reflect on the positive work that I do through my job and the changes that we at Parchment have made to our clients' lives. The apprenticeship has also made me feel more confident in my capabilities while at work which in return has helped minimise stress within the workplace.”

He added, “Being an apprentice with East Sussex College has really helped with my confidence both in and outside of work. It has helped me to reflect on the struggles that the vulnerable people I work with go through on a day to day basis. Knowing this while also seeing how joyful and enthusiastic they are to learn and have fun has helped me to put lots of things within my own life into perspective. After spending a lot of time and working hard on the apprenticeship course, my management became aware of how ambitious I was to develop my career. Because of this I managed to secure a promotion as a Senior Project Worker within the 1-7 co-operative at Parchment Trust which I may not have been able to do without the qualification that I am working on.

“After speaking to my line manager about opportunities to develop my education, she helped sign me up for this apprenticeship with East Sussex College as it meant I could continue working within the organisation while gaining a formal qualification.”

Tom spoke highly of his apprenticeship and would recommend it to others looking to break into their desired industry.

“Being able to work full time while also studying through my job has given me the flexibility to be able to live my life the way I want to. It's a great way to gain a formal qualification while also gaining a lot of hands-on experience while working. Gaining this experience through my job has also aided me with my coursework as I am able to reflect on many situations that I have been in while supporting my service users and working alongside all of the great staff members.”

Each apprentice has an assessor who will be with them every step of the way. Speaking on his experience with an ESC assessor, Tom said, “Maria Wheeler is my NVQ assessor for my apprenticeship and I couldn't ask for a better mentor, guide or support through this course. I have a diagnosed learning difficulty which can sometimes make it difficult to focus and stay on top of my work, however Maria has been more than accommodating to this and has helped in countless ways. If I am ever confused about the work I am doing, Maria is always there to give me guidance and support to enable me to do the best work I can.”

Following his apprenticeship, Tom is hoping to continue studying, be it through university or a higher-level apprenticeship at East Sussex College.

“I would like to continue my studies in the future - either at university or through another apprenticeship,” said Tom. “I really enjoy my current role at Parchment Trust and will continue to work there for the foreseeable future. I should be finished with my full apprenticeship within the next couple months. I would definitely consider doing an NVQ 4 or 5 through an apprenticeship at East Sussex College in the future as it seems like the most logical way to gain more qualifications.”

If you’d like to follow in Tom’s footsteps and start an Apprenticeship, click here to find out more information.