Daniel's apprenticeship journey

Daniel Tabe, aged 59, is a Senior Care Assistant at Silverwood Care Home and has completed his Level 2 Adult Care Worker Apprenticeship and Level 3 Lead Adult Care Worker Apprenticeship. He achieved a Merit in his Level 2 and a Distinction in his Level 3.

Daniel has had a successful career working with HC-One, starting as a Care Assistant at Silverwood Care Home five years ago and since being promoted to a Night Senior Care Assistant following his Level 3 apprenticeship.

Now, Daniel is following his ambition to become a Registered Nurse and started his Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship with HC-One in October 2023 with the Open University. Once Daniel completes his Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship, he will be a Registered Nurse and join Silverwood’s nursing team providing nursing care to residents.

Daniel demonstrates a wonderful, caring nature and has a passion for care. He cared for his own Grandparents and draws on his own personal experiences, treating residents with empathy and assisting them in a supportive manner. Daniel arrived in England from France with no formal qualifications, he followed his dreams in achieving a career in care and everything he does is testimony to achieving this. Daniel has taken every opportunity to develop himself to be the best he can be in his role. 

Daniel said: “I really enjoyed completing both of my apprenticeships. They fully supported me and encouraged me to be hard working, motivated and focused to obtain everything that I wanted to achieve in my apprenticeship.

“I would encourage anyone thinking about completing an apprenticeship to just simply go for it. The decision to complete an apprenticeship will open many doors for you on your way to excellence in your career.”

Bradley’s apprenticeship journey

Bradley Taylor, Cook at Priory Gardens, completed his Production Chef Level 2 Apprenticeship in November last year and is one of HC-One's youngest apprentices.

Bradley's passion for cooking started at school, when he completed a BTEC in Hospitality and Catering. However, he felt going to college full time wasn't for him, and an opportunity came up to join the team at Priory Gardens as a Kitchen Assistant.

Bradley joined the kitchen team at Priory Gardens in June 2021, where he started his apprenticeship journey at the age of 16. Since completing his apprenticeship two years later, he has since progressed to his current position of Cook.

He said: “When the opportunity arose for me to complete my Production Chef Level 2 apprenticeship to develop, learn and progress in my career I took it.

“I wanted to do the apprenticeship as it has always been a passion of mine to cook. From growing up cooking with my Nan and progressing through and finishing it. During the apprenticeship, I learnt how to maintain excellent standards of personal, food and kitchen hygiene, how to produce food that met portion controls, and budgetary constraints and gained more understanding of the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI).

“In the future, I'd like to complete my Level 3 Senior Chef Production apprenticeship as this is my next step in my career journey. Priory Gardens, HC-One and Lifetime Training have given me a great opportunity and helped me grow in confidence. I think an apprenticeship is a great way to learn skills whilst you are in paid employment. You get the best of both worlds. Being in a working environment, but still having the opportunity to learn at the same time.

“For anyone considering completing an apprenticeship, I'd advise them to go for it - it gives you more insight into your job and helps to build your confidence.”

Chelsey’s apprenticeship journey

Chelsey Jean Mason, Care Assistant at The Rowans, is currently completing her Level 2 Lead Adult Care Worker Apprenticeship.

After starting her early career in hairdressing, Chelsey later decided to pursue a career in the care sector as she felt it would be a rewarding job that offers more career progression opportunities.

Chelsey joined HC-One in August 2022 and chose to complete her Level 2 Lead Adult Care Worker Apprenticeship to help her gain a better understanding, skills and knowledge of her job role. She started her apprenticeship in May 2023 and is on track to complete her apprenticeship in June 2024.

She said: “I am really enjoying completing my apprenticeship. To be given the opportunity to do an apprenticeship has been amazing. I’m able to learn, achieve a qualification and work at the same time. I like the balance between the hands-on experience and education.

“Whilst I’ve had to be resilient, I feel like I have grown in my role as a Care Assistant at The Rowans since starting my apprenticeship. It’s given me new skills and I feel more confident in my role. I hope to progress further by completing my Level 3 Lead Adult Care Worker Apprenticeship and look at applying for more senior roles with HC-One.”

Emma’s apprenticeship journey

Emma Ramsdale, aged 46, is a Procurement Project Support Assistant and is currently doing her Procurement Apprenticeship.

Prior to joining HC-One, Emma gained a degree in Hospitality Management and worked in the hotel industry as Duty Manager and in the Human Resources team, before moving over to working in recruitment.

She joined HC-One in May 2014, initially joining the recruitment team and later taking on a secondment in procurement during the pandemic. It was something Emma had always been interested in, so she was keen to take her next step in procurement and has stayed with the team since.

As part of her role, Emma was offered the chance to complete a Procurement Apprenticeship, which she is due to complete in March 2024. Not only will this enhance Emma’s understanding of procurement and put her in a better position for progression opportunities, but she will also receive professional, industry recognised qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS).

Emma said: “The Procurement Apprenticeship will enable me to obtain a Level 3 qualification from the CIPS. It has given me a far greater depth of understanding of my role and what the procurement function does.

After completing my Level 3 qualification, I am considering doing my Level 4 apprenticeship but will probably take a 12 month break to embed the learning I have already received.

The most memorable moment in my apprenticeship journey so far is when I did my first exam where I achieved 93% and realised I was perfectly capable of doing very well in my apprenticeship despite being out of education for nearly 25 years.

Completing an apprenticeship is a great way to obtain training and gain professional qualifications, plus it’s free. Whilst doing an apprenticeship is hard work, it is very rewarding.”

Lewis’s apprenticeship journey

Lewis Jackson, Chef at Rose Court, has progressed with HC-One since completing his Level 2 Production Chef Apprenticeship and embarking on his Level 3 Senior Production Chef Apprenticeship.

After leaving school, Lewis worked in a warehouse before joining Rose Court as a Kitchen Assistant in 2019, as he enjoyed cooking and wanted to pursue a career where he can make a difference and help people. Since starting with HC-One, Lewis has been promoted to the role of Chef after completing his Level 2 apprenticeship and starting his Level 3.

As part of his Level 3 apprenticeship, Lewis will learn about supervising the production of dishes to meet specific dietary requirements and how to complete, monitor and maintain food safety management systems, as well as identifying training needs and assisting in the recruitment of kitchen personnel. The Level 3 Apprenticeship will also continue to support Lewis develop his leadership skills.

Lewis said: “Since joining Rose Court, I’ve been keen to progress in my career and was proud to complete my Level 2 Apprenticeship. I’m now looking forward to studying for my Level 3 Apprenticeship and advance my knowledge and learning to be able to provide the best dining experience and personalised choice to residents.

“My confidence has grown immensely which helps me to cope with working in a demanding environment and I feel very supported by my colleagues. My leadership skills have developed and I’m able to work effectively with other colleagues to guide them on how we can provide a dignifying dining experience for residents.

“Following completing my Level 3 Apprenticeship, I hope to progress to a more senior role such as a Senior Chef or a support role such as a Development Chef in the future.”