In partnership with Barnsley Independent Training Service, we are pleased to provide Peer Advisor Apprenticeships. Over the year Apprenticeship, our Apprentices are provided with ongoing support and mentoring and attend regular tutorials. They also have a mentoring supervision every month to focus on their personal and professional development plan.
Our Apprentices support the delivery of our telephone advice service and community-based face-to-face outreach sessions. Upon completion of the Apprenticeships, they will have developed knowledge and expertise to support local people with impartial and confidential disability advice and information, and they will gain a Customer Service qualification.
We are pleased to announce that we will be recruiting a further Peer Advisor Apprentice in March, so watch this space!
Meet Our Apprentices
Kathy Morgan
Kathy started as DIAL’s first ever Apprentice Peer Advisor in May 2023. Since then, Kathy has completed her DIAL Benefits Training and achieved her NEA City & Guild Level 2 Fuel Debt Advice in the Community qualification.
Joseph Parker
Joseph joined us as an Apprentice Peer Advisor in November 2023. Since then, Joseph has been working closely with our experienced Peer Advisors to give advice and information.
National Apprenticeship Week (5th – 11th February 2024) is the annual celebration of Apprentices across the country. With this year’s theme being Skills For Life, we interviewed our Apprentices Kathy and Joseph to see what they thought about how Apprenticeships can help people to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career. Here’s what they have to say…
What has your experience of being an Apprentice at DIAL been like?
Kathy: Doing the Apprenticeship is one of the best things I have done, it has helped me with my confidence so much. It has also helped me develop skills like how to use all of Google applications as well as how to use PowerPoint.
Joseph: As an Apprentice, I have learnt new things and come to understand quite technical stuff in systems that I thought I’d never learn about, or not quite to the degree that being an Apprentice has taught me. It’s helped me develop my knowledge on a plethora of things involving benefits law and systems, but it has also grown my customer service skills further through meeting people of all walks of life.
How do you think Apprenticeships contribute to a more diverse and inclusive workforce?
Kathy: Having an Apprentice in the workforce helps to build the skills of that person to fit in with the workforce. An Apprenticeship also opens the doors for people from all walks of life, embracing diversity such as disability, religion, and sexual orientation. This is a good thing for both the Apprentice and the organisation.
Joseph: Apprenticeships contribute to more inclusive and diverse workplaces mostly through experience and age. An older colleague at an Apprenticeship has the knowledge and experience to back it up while new Apprentices can bring to workplaces different kinds of thoughtful applications and ideas that can be more suited for the clients and workspaces of the current era.
An Apprenticeship opens doors for people of all walks in life.
What skills have you gained during your Apprenticeship that you believe will be valuable throughout your life?
Kathy: I have learnt so much doing the Apprenticeship, including about all the different types of benefits, and fuel debt in the community. My confidence has grown so much during this Apprenticeship, I’ve always liked challenges and this has definitely been one for me. It has taken me out of my comfort zone which has helped me grow so much.
Joseph: As previously mentioned, it’s allowed me to build on knowledge of skills in current day systems and the growth of customer service skills can be used professionally or unprofessionally in a formal or informal setting.
How has the mentorship during your Apprenticeship at DIAL contributed to your skills and overall experience?
Kathy: The mentoring and guidance have been amazing. I’ve been treated as one of the team from the beginning, and the support I have received is more than I could have ever asked for.
Joseph: To have so many colleagues around of various positions, experiences and with lots of ideas means you can learn from a lot of different people. To have many friendly faces open to mentoring during an Apprenticeship sweetens the whole experience.
What advice would you give to someone considering an Apprenticeship as a pathway to a rewarding career?
Kathy: I would highly recommend to anyone to do an Apprenticeship, age does not matter! It gives you an insight into the job and helps you train and earn at the same time. I want to use this to say a huge thank you to DIAL for giving me the opportunity for the Apprenticeship, I look forward to continuing my journey.
Joseph: My advice would be to take the opportunity to do one, as Apprenticeships allow you to gain work experience and knowledge through the actual work you’re qualifying for.
In my short time at DIAL, my confidence has grown!
