From Nursery Worker to Leisure Team Member
Last week we caught up with Chloe who recently completed her Leisure Team Member Apprenticeship at Oldham Community Leisure.
We started by asking Chloe why she decided to do a Leisure Apprenticeship “I was working in a Nursery but I never saw this as a long term employment route for me, I’d always been sporty and enjoyed sport at school , so when I saw the Apprenticeship advertised with Oldham Community Leisure I decided to give it a go” Chloe went on to add “as soon as I started I realised it was a big change to what I’d been used to working in a nursery, I was used to talking to the same parents each day, but the interaction was limited, the Apprenticeship gave me the opportunity to interact with a lot more people, from a range of backgrounds and ages, I really enjoyed this side of things and my confidence and people skills really developed”
The Leisure Team Member Apprenticeship is a diverse Apprenticeship Standard with multiple aspects to it, from Pool Lifeguard training and Swim teacher Training through to working on reception and in the gym, anyone completing this Apprenticeship develops a range of skills, making them an invaluable member of any team. Chloe was no exception, and she was given a fulltime contract with Oldham Community Leisure as a Pool Lifeguard on completion of her Apprenticeship.
As part of the Apprenticeship Standard Chloe did her End Point Assessment with Active IQ, we asked Chloe about her experience of EPA “To be honest I really enjoyed the experience” she said “I was obviously nervous about it but also confident as I’d done some mock assessments and practice interviews with FLM Training so I felt prepared going into it, the EPA Assessor put me at ease as well, so that helped” Apprentices are awarded either Pass, Merit or Distinction at the end of the EPA process “I got a distinction, which I’m really proud about” Chloe told us
So, you’ve finished your Apprenticeship, was awarded a Distinction and have gained a full-time job with Oldham Community Leisure, what’s next? That’s the question we asked Chloe “I’ve been doing the odd shift in the gym which I really enjoy, so I’d like to gain some more experience in that environment, but my goal is to become a Team Leader here at Oldham, I’m already booked on to do my Pool Plant Qualification and, in the future, I’d like to do my Personal Trainer and Exercise Referral qualifications. I think qualifications and training are so important, and the Apprenticeship has been amazing for me, I’d definitely recommend people to look into Apprenticeships as an a real alternative to going to college, I got my qualifications and got paid as well”
To find out more about the Leisure Team Apprenticeship take a look at the link below: