Cherie’s Health and Safety apprenticeship journey

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A young woman in SGN branded PPE in front of a blue to orange gradient

Initially, I didn’t know what I wanted to do as a career – I’ve worked in many customer-facing roles, and somehow ended up working in kitchens. I love cooking and baking but could not see myself doing it for the rest of my life – I wanted more.

I took some time to think about what aspects I enjoyed from all my previous experience and after careful consideration I decided to pursue a career in Health and Safety

I was actively looking for a Health and Safety job when I came across the Trainee Health & Safety Advisor Apprenticeship at SGN. When I saw the advert, I knew it was an amazing opportunity, it had everything I was looking for and more. I did some research online and saw the positive things people had to say about working here.

I was hopeful about getting the position and was delighted when I got the call on the first day of my holiday to offer me the job. It was an excellent start to my first holiday since COVID-19.

Although I was worried that I might be too old, I wanted to do the apprenticeship as I knew it would be excellent for my personal development and would help me to progress in my career.

The apprenticeship was not all classroom-based – instead, it was mostly practical, and I had to demonstrate what I knew and learned from the job. Through my apprenticeship, I was able to expand my knowledge and learnt the importance of self-reflection. The apprenticeship helped me to gain confidence when carrying out my daily tasks and to progress in my role quicker as I had targets to meet and had to work harder to gain the evidence required. I enjoyed the apprenticeship and was proud to be able to complete my qualification three months ahead of schedule.

The apprenticeship programme is an excellent way for people to progress and develop in their careers – I would recommend this to anyone looking to advance and I would definitely do another one if the opportunity arises.

I have enjoyed my journey so far; I don’t know what the future holds but I will continue to learn and develop, with plans to progress into a senior role within the Health and Safety team.