Chris is climbing the career ladder with industry leading apprenticeships!
In 2024, over 330,000 learner-earners enrolled on an apprenticeship program in the UK – and our very own support superstar, Chris Clarke, was one of them. But for Chris, this wasn’t his first apprenticeship since starting his career with us. After leaving school at 16, Chris wasn’t sure what his future held and he decided to get his first full-time job, where he found his passion for helping others. Initially, he worked with disadvantaged young people before moving into adult social care.
Chris joined us in 2014 as a Support Worker at Rivers, our specialist support service in Worksop. Quickly settling into his role, he soon wanted to explore opportunities to increase his skills and knowledge, so he could further expand his life-changing support. So, when we proposed enrolling on an apprenticeship to Chris, he was instantly keen!
An apprenticeship would allow him to continue working in his role while learning new skills and knowledge. On top of that, he’d also achieve a nationally recognised qualification. Since successfully completing his first apprenticeship in 2018 – achieving a Level 2 diploma in Health and Social Care – he’s also completed his Level 3 Lead Adult Carer diploma and achieved a promotion. Now, he’s a Senior Support Worker and recently completed his third apprenticeship!
Successful studies
As soon as Chris joined us, we could see his dedication to the people we support. So, we supported his ambitions to enhance his skills and knowledge with additional learning opportunities. We have lots of options for further learning available, including apprenticeships. For Chris, this was the perfect solution for furthering his skills while remaining in his role.
Chris was excited to start this journey but nervous about navigating learning and assessments. With the encouragement of his colleagues at Rivers, and his personal apprenticeship mentor, Chris discovered how the course would be tailored to suit his preferred way of learning, preparing him to succeed!
Comfortable and confident, Chris worked with his personal apprenticeship mentor from our training partners – Paragon Skills – to complete his assessments. This involved both written and practical examinations, covering various parts of his role as a Support Worker and – since 2022 – a Senior Support Worker. During practical assessments, Chris was observed by his tutor. These hands-on assessments supported his written assessments, as he demonstrated putting theory into practice.
Chris was allocated time during his shifts to work on his written assessments. However, the people we support are always Chris’ priority, and unexpected and urgent duties occasionally affected how much time he could dedicate to them. Communicating this openly and honestly with his manager, he was supported to balance studying and work duties with dedicated admin days. This gave him space to focus on his apprenticeship coursework and continue supporting the service with office-based admin tasks.
Studying while in a work environment benefited Chris because it helped him remain focused on his goals and supported his understanding of what was being taught. And, along the way, he learned a lot about himself and gained unexpected skills.
Positively practical
Over just four years, Chris achieved two industry-recognised awards by completing apprenticeships. Alongside learning industry-standard skills and knowledge, Chris also developed the greatest skill of all: self-confidence.
Chris knew he was changing the lives of the people we support every day, but his belief in his abilities was low. Through his apprenticeships, he was empowered to change that. Combining theoretical learning and practical skill application, Chris continued working while learning skills that would help further his career. Plus, he could apply those skills in everyday scenarios, making learning more natural and functional. He saw first-hand how well he was doing!
Through his courses, Chris developed a wide range of practical skills and his colleagues at Rivers were on hand to support him with tasks he hadn’t done before. Guiding him through different processes, he was given space to learn them in his own way. When he was learning about safeguarding, supporting someone with complex needs empowered him to put theory into practice and develop his knowledge and skills in a functional way. With his colleagues supporting him, he took ownership of the safeguarding process, gaining real, hands-on experience.
Similarly, with his leadership and management modules, Chris needed to complete an appraisal for another member of the Rivers team and lead a team meeting. To do this, Chris’ manager briefed him on the processes, then stepped back and allowed him to take the lead! Always on hand to support, his manager observed Chris in action and provided feedback to his apprenticeship tutor.
Chris developed a range of practical skills through a blend of mentoring, shadowing, and being supported and trusted to take the lead in different situations. This gave him the experience and confidence to apply his learning to his everyday role.
Lifelong learning
When Chris enrolled on his very first apprenticeship in 2014, his goal was to enhance his skills and broaden his career prospects. Over the years, as he successfully navigated three diplomas, he continuously learned unexpected things.
Throughout all his courses, Chris showed incredible strength, perseverance, and determination. With our person-centred approach to learning, we supported him to discover his talents and establish self-belief. Following on from his previous successes, he jumped at the chance to complete his next award. In 2024, Chris achieved his Level 4 Lead Practitioner in Adult Care diploma.
From the day he started his first apprenticeship to achieving his latest award, Chris has discovered self-confidence, established incredible bonds with his team, and learnt the skills needed to progress his career. Coupled with his motivation to help others, Chris has developed into an admirable leader who thrives on challenges and positively influences everyone around him.
Find out more about our apprenticeship pathways!
Visit our dedicated apprenticeships page to discover more about our apprenticeship pathways.