Jessica Ransome, 18, snapped up an apprenticeship in business administration at her old school after completing a BTEC in Performing Arts at Parkside Sixth Form College.
She began by doing temporary administration work at both Parkside and Coleridge Community Colleges in Cambridge – and impressed her new employers so much they decided to take her on as their first apprentice.
Yesterday, Jessica, who lives in Ely, was presented with flowers and shopping vouchers by Cambridge News editor Paul Brackley at a celebration event at the college. The paper is partnering CRC in a campaign to recruit 125 new apprentices to mark the 125th anniversary of the News.
Paul Brackley said he was very pleased to congratulate Jessica and the college on reaching the 10,000th apprentice milestone.
“Our campaign with the college to place apprentices with local businesses has received terrific backing and it is clear that many employers are seeing the benefits of these schemes,” he said.
Laraine Moody, assistant principal and head of employer engagement at CRC, said: “10,000 apprentices is a landmark figure for the college and we are absolutely delighted that Jessica has helped us reach such a significant number.
“She is one of the many young people who are seeing the benefits of an apprenticeship as the path to a great career and is working hard to achieve her dream.
“CRC started offering apprenticeship programmes on a very small scale in 2001 and since then we have seen the numbers grow regularly, particularly in recent years as more and more employers recognise the business benefits of taking on apprentices.”
Jessica, described by her boss as “a joy to work with” because of her energy and enthusiasm, has already worked on mail merges, data input, document creation, archive, reception duties and helped plan, organise and run a senior citizens’ winter concert.
Katrina Amabile, Business Support Manager at Parkside Federation Academies, said: “Parkside Federation had been exploring the possibility of employing an apprentice administrator and
following discussions with CRC and Jess the opportunity arose to offer this position to her. We are both pleased and excited to be able to support her through this journey.
“We have been and will be able to offer Jess a variety of opportunities and experiences which will equip her with the skills, knowledge and experience she will be able to use in the future whether her career lies in administration, customer service or elsewhere.
“It is also a pleasure to see Jess’s confidence and people skills grow with every new opportunity she
takes on. She has a can-do attitude to each piece of work and all staff members find her a joy to work with.”
Jessica said she was really enjoying her new role.
“I would definitely 100 per cent recommend an apprenticeship. At the end of it you get a qualification, not just experience, which you can show to employers,” she said.
“Administration was what I wanted to go into and the school has been very enthusiastic about the
apprenticeship. I have gained so much confidence through it. Every day is different – I might be showing visitors around, answering the phone or working in the office.”
Image: CRC's 10,000th apprentice Jessica Ransome at a celebration event to mark the occasion
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