An apprentice from The Manchester College will be representing the North West in this year’s National Apprenticeship Awards.
Laura Broughton, 20, from Salford has been named a finalist in the North West – Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Staffordshire region, and will be attending the awards ceremony on 22nd October at Lancashire County Cricket Club.
The National Apprenticeship Awards celebrate top Apprenticeship employers and apprentices across England who show how Apprenticeships have made a real difference to their organisation and careers. The awards are run by the National Apprenticeship Service, and recognise excellence in two areas – businesses that grow their own talent with Apprenticeships and apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.
Laura completed her 12 month Apprenticeship with The Manchester College and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) as a Business Fire Safety Advisor this year and is now employed full time by Service as a Business Fire Safety Advisor.
Speaking about when she found out she had been named a finalist, Laura said: “I was very excited when I heard. I filled the form in ages ago and couldn’t believe it when they got in touch.
“I absolutely love my job and I know I wouldn’t be in this role now if I hadn’t done the Apprenticeship. A lot of people who work as Fire Safety Advisors have come to the job after already having had a full career within a similar environment. My Apprenticeship has allowed me to start my career within GMFRS at an early stage and I would definitely recommend people to do the Apprenticeship.”
During her time as an apprentice with The Manchester College Laura was an apprentice ambassador for the National Apprenticeship Service, going into schools and colleges to talk to students about why they should do an Apprenticeship. As part of her role, Laura also attended the Labour party conference in 2014 and met former Labour leader Ed MillibandLaura joined GMFRS’ Fire Cadets programme when she was 13 and her progression to an Apprenticeship with GMFRS was a natural next step.
Laura continues to work closely with the cadets and now runs the unit she started in seven years ago. “The cadets provide a great insight into GMFRS and really prepared me for my Apprenticeship and job. For anyone who is looking to start an Apprenticeship with the Service I would definitely recommend they look at volunteer work with the cadets, it’s great fun and will prepare you for your future role.”
And Laura sees her future continuing with the fire service. “Changes within the fire service mean there are lots of new job roles coming up and there are good progression routes for people who join through Apprenticeships.”
