Celebrating our apprentices – it’s National Apprenticeship Week! | News

It's National Apprenticeship Week and we're celebrating the apprentices we have at Sussex Housing & Care! 

Louise Walker, Care Home Manager at Woodlands Care Home in Crowborough, completed an apprenticeship to study a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care through East Sussex College.  

Louise said: "I was fortunate to complete my diploma whilst I was Deputy Manager and I found this apprenticeship extremely informative. The course was an eye opener, and I could learn the difference between the Deputy Manager and Manager roles. It meant I could comfortably dip my toes into the managerial role as I had greater involvement, this was especially helpful for when I needed to step up and cover the role.   

I never thought I'd complete the course because I have an illness which affects my life every day, so it was a big achievement for me to obtain this qualification. There didn't feel like a good time to take on extra learning, while I juggled daily life and family, but I'm so pleased I did. The apprenticeship most definitely wasn't as daunting as it seemed, there was always support around, whether from colleagues or college assessors, they were all there for me. 

In practice, it took me a couple of years to complete. I used to stay in the evenings and come in the weekends to study the 10 units of work. I also had 20% of my contracted hours towards studying. My NVQ assessor, Maria, would visit every couple of months and was always on the end of the phone or email if I needed her. The diploma was coursework based, and I'd relate the learnings to my work experiences. I wrote my final essay on "the effects of dementia and sleeping patterns of adults in social care" which hugely interested me.   

I think it's good that Sussex Housing & Care give us different opportunities regardless of our roles. We never know what's round the corner, I didn't think I'd be in the position of taking on the registration of the care home and I'm thankful for having had the relevant training and qualifications.”  

If you’re interested to find out more about our friendly team please click here to visit our jobs page.

Click here for more information about the national apprenticeship week, including career advice information.