Apprentice of the Month – October 2023

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I was previously at college for 1 year studying childcare and throughout the year I was doing different placements in different educational settings and that was part of what motivated me to pursue my career with working with children. I’ve always been passionate about wanting to work with children and I thought this opportunity would be an amazing start for me.

Why did you choose to be an inspire+ apprentice?

After seeing it advertised, I applied straight away as I knew this would be a wonderful opportunity for me if I got the apprenticeship, which I happily did. I wanted to pursue my career further. I also spoke to a current apprentice about how her apprenticeship was, and she also motivated me to go for it. I saw it as a promising career, and I knew that it was something that definitely interested me.

What have you learned during your apprenticeship so far?

I have learnt how to work in a team better and how to work better independently. I’ve gained insights into implementing different ideas into practice to give the children the best support possible. By attending weekly training sessions, I have learned various warm-ups and the how to lead and make them more challenging. I have learnt all about gymnastics, cheerleading, and netball, learning the intricacies of each sport and how to engage children in physical activities.

What do you enjoy the most in your apprenticeship and hope to achieve in the future?

I enjoy working with the children and the different members of staff. I enjoy working with different age groups, having a say and being independent when working with the children. I enjoy collaborating, sharing ideas and working as part of a team.

What are your career ambitions?

I hope that one day I will go to university and train to be a teacher, but for now, after my apprenticeship, I’m looking to get a job as a teaching assistant and pursue that career even further.

Would you like to share a good memory from your apprenticeship?

A good memory from my apprenticeship so far is most definitely getting to know each individual child and understanding their needs and what to do to support them. I love seeing the children smile every day while doing a fun activity with them, and I enjoy really getting into the role of different characters. Whether it’s doing English or maths or any type of play, for example, being pirates and creating a pirate ship, or being frogs and jumping from one place to another. Another good memory is working with children who don’t find certain activities fun or don’t want to participate and making the activities adaptable for them, leading to them wanting to join in. One more good memory is how quickly I formed different relationships with not only the children but also the staff.

Do you recommend other people to become an inspire+ apprentice?

I definitely would recommend other people to become an inspire plus apprentice, especially if they want to pursue a career with working with children and if they have a love for sport. It’s a great way to gain experience in a school setting.

To find out more about our apprenticeships, visit www.inspireplus.org.uk/apprenticeships