Sean is currently a Looked After Child within Coventry City Council, and has been living with foster parents since the age of four. He worked well at school and during that time thought about what he wanted to do for a career. In his last year at school he worked with a careers adviser to help decide what best suited him after completing his GCSE exams. Sean wanted to work outdoors doing something practical and the careers adviser connected him with the apprenticeship team at the council. Sean completed a Horticulture Apprenticeship at level 2, unfortunately he was not able to continue working within this role. He remained motivated and secured work in warehousing and then litter-picking.
Sean values his first apprenticeship and has been looking for the next opportunity. He first applied for a ‘Highways Technical Apprenticeship’ at Whitley Depot, although unsuccessful on that occasion, the line manager for this vacancy thought his attributes best lay with another sister department. Sean received very positive feedback from his interview and took on board the advice given to him about looking to other areas which encompass responsibilities he was originally looking for. We asked Sean to put together a personal statement that we could use as a reference point to talk to department managers about him:
‘I would like to gain a position in the Waste Department because I think it would be a good area to work in for the Council and it would be something different for me to try. It sounds like a job that I would love to do and it would be a new challenge for me to take on. I have worked for the Council previously through an Apprenticeship in the Parks and was always punctual and reliable. I am good at getting up early in the morning. As there could be the possibility to gain my HGV License I am even more keen as one of my dreams and ambitions is to be a Lorry Driver in the future. I hope that you can consider my Expression of Interest for this job role and I look forward to hearing from you.’
- Personal Statement by Sean
The Apprenticeship and Early Careers team worked closely with the Waste department at Whitley Depot to arrange a four-week work trial, with the view to Sean moving into an Apprenticeship afterwards. Sean excelled in this placement, with department managers especially impressed with his commitment, teamwork and willingness to learn new skills every day. Andrew Walster, Director of Street Scene and Regulatory Services has committed to funding two apprenticeship posts, in which one of those Sean has now been placed into.
Sean is now working as a Waste Management Apprentice undertaking a level 2 Apprenticeship in Sustainable Resource Management along with completing his Maths and English at Level 1.
Find out more about Coventry City Council's apprenticeships at: https://www.coventry.gov.uk/apprenticeships
