Young Shrewsbury woman rockets to success

A young Shrewsbury woman has rocketed to success while completing her Business Administration apprenticeship with Shropshire County Council’s County Training.

Claire Smout, 22, from Monkmoor, Shrewsbury approached County Training 18 months ago when she was exploring new avenues of employment. She decided to take up a Level 2 Business Administration apprenticeship and was placed within the Care Workforce Development Partnership (CWDP) Team, based in Annscroft.

In January of this year Claire completed her Level 3 NVQ. Achieving both level two and three in this short space of time is an impressive achievement and really demonstrates Claire’s commitment to her training and the high level of support received from County Training and her employer.

Since beginning the Apprenticeship Programme Claire has gone from strength to strength in her job, taking on lots of additional responsibility. Claire’s everyday tasks as Project Administrator include general office duties and minute taking. However, due to her line manager retiring within the CWDP team, Claire has recently taken the lead on the ‘Care Ambassador’ project. She promotes Health and Social Care by recruiting people who work within the sector, acting as a role model to inspire and encourage young people to consider careers in social care.

Claire is embracing the exciting new opportunities and challenges this new role brings.

Care Ambassadors are individuals, with a care background, who are chosen for their enthusiasm, commitment, confidence and, most importantly, their ability to identify with young people, in inspiring them to achieve their full potential.

As lead Care Ambassador Claire is involved in a programme, working with schools and staging Health and Social Care events to promote careers in this field. She also attends regional meetings for the Care Workforce Development Partnership and plays a part in putting together the bi-yearly Newsletter.

Claire, who is extremely keen to progress in her field of work said"I would strongly promote the vocational route to anybody who is considering their future at the moment. I was always academic at school, however deliberately chose not to go to university, instead preferring the idea of gaining real hands on experience. The Apprenticeship programme has acted as a springboard in giving me the confidence to aim higher."

Claire’s progress proves the benefits gaining work experience can bring to an individuals personal development. Councillor Barbara Craig, Cabinet member for community services said: “Claire is a real accolade to County Training, but is also an example of how apprenticeships can provide young people with fantastic prospects.”

County Training offers apprenticeships in a range of areas, including: Business Administration, Customer Services, Catering and Hospitality, Childcare, Hairdressing, Health and Social Care, Information Technology, Retail and Warehousing and Storage. The programme provides paid work along with training towards a nationally recognised qualification, normally lasting between one and three years.

If you are aged between 16 and 24 and would like to find out more about the Apprenticeship Programme, please contact Ann Jones on 01743 255112 or ann.jones@shropshire.gov.uk.

9 April 2008