Rochdale Training Apprentice, Ellie Burke is celebrating having won Apprentice of the Year at this year's Rochdale Business Awards.

The Awards were established in 2011 to celebrate and recognise the success and achievements of local businesses and business people within Rochdale.

Ellie works at Gateway Leisure supporting people with learning disabilities and now making positive changes to young adults with mental and physical health needs.

Rochdale Training, tutor, Roxanne Sharpe said “Ellie is one of the best Apprentices I have ever met. Ellie has been on a tough journey over the previous 12 months and was introduced to us by the Youth Hub having completed a 12-week course with the Princes Trust team in Rochdale. She has been determined to progress and focused on the future and a career path to help others in the health and social sector. Ellie is the future of this business and sector.

Ellie is progressing rapidly through the Health and Social Care Apprenticeship and is often ahead of her peers, meeting deadlines and producing high-quality assignments for her Apprenticeship. She attends all off-the-job training and records and measures her performance against the key criteria of the apprenticeship. She has remained consistently inquisitive and is not afraid to challenge something or make suggestions to improve something.”

Project Co-ordinator at Gateway Leisure, Lisa Stockton said “Ellie has 100% attendance and punctuality. She represents Gateway well whilst out in the community. She has recently helped to engage service users to participate in some new and ongoing activities – which is doing well. Ellie's confidence has grown a lot in the months she has been with us. She uses her own initiative, helping with tasks i.e., assisting service users with PEG feeds, and helping support people with transport. Ellie is always keen to learn new things, more confident, and willing to take on additional tasks. Ellie is getting on with the online training and does not need reminding to do so.  Ellie is well on track with her qualifications and is meeting deadlines with her work. Ellie demonstrates leadership, and creativity and looks for solutions to problems. Her positive impact on people and the Gateway business over a short period has been outstanding and this is why she is our Apprentice of the Year.”

Charlie Stansfield and Niki Wiehler from Rochdale Youth Hub are proud to have supported Ellie on her journey to Apprentice of the Year. She is an inspiration to other young people and her achievements are amazing, Congratulations Ellie.

Apprenticeships help shape successful lives and build successful businesses across a large and diverse range of sectors. If you would like further information on recruiting an Apprentice, email Mark Whittaker at mwhittaker@rochdaletraining.co.uk

Employment Success with NHS Work Academy!

Rochdale Training is celebrating the success of its Sector Based Work Academy in partnership with the NHS. The course is focussed on becoming part of a customer service/administration team within the NHS, offering excellent customer service to patients with a friendly face, and assisting patients with queries or appointments.

In partnership with, HMR Primary Care and Rochdale Job Centre Plus, the course has supported 30 residents and 13 have moved into full-time employment.

Ruth Parton, Pre-employment lead from HMR Primary Care Academy said: “We choose to run Sector Based Work Academies as it’s a great way to attract new staff to Primary Care and a rewarding career in the NHS. The calibre of learners demonstrates that our selection process for the training is effective. Everyone on our courses has a willingness to learn and it’s a privilege to support people on their career journey.”

All learners were offered an interview and we have had 13 people progress onto employment with HMR Primary Care Academy and have started work in NHS settings around Greater Manchester. In-work training will include the level 2 Customer Service qualification with Rochdale Training.

Kelsey Hardman from Rochdale Job Centre Plus said “One of our main priorities is ensuring we are connecting local people to local jobs. DWP want to ensure that local people have the skills to meet demand and have access to opportunities available through Sector Based Work Academies. This is a fantastic result and it’s great to see so many people moving into employment through our strong partnership with Rochdale Training and HMR Primary Care Academy. We are extremely proud of the results achieved here and the dedication and commitment from the learners have been phenomenal, as well as watching them on this journey with such a rewarding outcome”

Vicky Burgess, Work and Skills Officer at Rochdale Borough Council said: “Working with local training providers who understand local needs and local businesses supports local people to move into local jobs. Working collaboratively brings results. RTA are exactly this and the results are great”

Learners from the Sector Based Work Academy said: “I started a Sector Based Work Academy because of the chance of employment at the end of the course through the interviews set up with local GP surgeries. Rochdale Training has been amazing in helping me get back into work – thank you.” Another learner said “I suffer with zero self-confidence and have struggled to get back into work. On countless occasions, I would get to the interview stage but not get the job. This forced me to reflect and take baby steps in order to become more confident in my approach. When I found out about this job and thought to apply I immediately found there was lots of support and help from the academy staff which reflected positivity and made me believe in myself and my abilities.”

This training has been made possible thanks to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, helping everybody gain skills for life and giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with an employer.