Yolanda Mainwaring aged 20 from Alsager, proved to be the model apprentice for local engineering firm, Langley alloys, which have now employed Yolanda as a full-time Operations Administrator.
Yolanda describes her journey from school to full-time employment: “I left school in 2008 and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I spent a few years trying different types of study but decided I wanted to do something practical, so I looked into doing an Apprenticeship with Newcastle-under-Lyme College.”
The former Alsager High School pupil continues: “The College provided guidance and support in the various sectors that Apprenticeships are available in and helped me to find a placement at Langley Alloys. Through doing an Apprenticeship I was able to earn a weekly wage whilst learning in a real working environment.”
NULC currently provides Apprenticeships in more than a dozen areas including Accounting, Business and Administration, Construction, Childcare, Electrical Installation, Engineering, Hairdressing, Health and Social Care, Retail and IT.
Langley Alloys is one of more than 400 businesses across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent who work with the College to provide Apprenticeship placements. Last year the College reported a record increase in the number of people taking up an Apprenticeship, resulting in a need for more employers to offer apprentice roles within their organisations.
Neil Barlow, NVQ Assessor at NULC said: “The College works very closely with local businesses to ensure that we meet the needs of both the business and the apprentice. Apprenticeships are proving to be an increasingly popular way for local businesses to meet their staffing needs and we’re always looking to work with more local employers to provide apprentice roles.”
Langley Alloys, based in Newcastle-under-Lyme was founded in 1938 and has a worldwide reputation for inventing and supporting advanced stainless steels, nickel and bronze alloys.
Operations Director of Langley Alloys, Mike Hickman said: “Our philosophy is to invest in the local area, particularly with young people. Yolanda was our third apprentice and the second from Newcastle-under-Lyme College. We have been very impressed with the service we received from the College in terms of recruitment and also ongoing support for Yolanda. In fact, employing our Apprentice’s in partnership with Newcastle-under-Lyme College was such a success that we’re currently talking to the College about recruiting another apprentice in our Warehousing department.”
Reflecting on choosing to study an Apprenticeship, Yolanda said: “Studying an Apprenticeship has changed my life. I went from leaving school not really knowing what I wanted to do and have ended up with a career in a successful and growing company. Apprenticeships are a fantastic alternative to academic study and provide you with on the job experience which is relevant to the work place.”
To find out more about Newcastle-under-Lyme College’s apprenticeships and other workplace training programmes visit www.nulc.ac.uk/employer or contact the Employer Training team on 01782 254376.
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