Through ACL Apprenticeships, Jane was able to upskill her own staff and create “future leaders”. The Apprenticeship programme has had a positive impact on her business – her staff have grown and developed with her business.

Jane’s business My Life Choice provides personalised care and support to people with Autism and Learning Disabilities in Colchester, throughout Essex and across the UK.

When we asked Jane why she decided that she wanted to be involved with the apprenticeship programme, her response was that she believed that many employees had the skills and knowledge to succeed within a care role but had not been given the opportunity to excel. Once joining Jane’s team, all staff are placed onto a personalised development plan which monitors their progress and helps them develop valuable skills.

“I wanted to create future leaders”

Jane also spoke to us about one of her current apprentices who, after not doing very well at school, joined her company as a Level 2 Care apprentice. With the support of ACL and fellow colleagues, he is now thriving in his role and looking to further improve his career prospects.

“Apprenticeships are a great way to get new people into the sector”

As well as improving her business, Jane has found the apprenticeship scheme to be hugely beneficial to staff morale. When discussing how employees completing an apprenticeship motivate and inspire others within her company, she said “when staff see others completing a higher level apprenticeship, they think ‘if they can do it, why can’t I?”.

We are continuing to deliver our high-quality apprenticeship programme throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and can help you consider different options for your business and the specific circumstances you are currently working within. Businesses could receive funding of up to £3,000 to support them to take on a new apprentice and we offer apprenticeships at intermediate, advanced and higher levels. To find out more about how an ACL apprenticeship could help your business visit our apprenticeships page.

We are running free online information sessions for both those interested in an apprenticeship and employers looking to recruit or upskill their staff. These will be running during National Apprenticeship Week on Thursday 11th February. If you are interested in signing up to one of these sessions, please click here.