b'FEATURE FEATUREKelly Group Apprenticeships Niamh is currently training on the field with her mentor Liam, who joined Kelly Group as a Fibre Splicer 3 years ago. Niamh and Liam are siblings, which for most of us would be a challenge, however, having spent the afternoon with both Niamh and Liam, we can confirm their working Kelly Group is proud to provide a comprehensive Apprenticeship Scheme with our experiencedrelationship is one to be rivalled.in-house training team on various contracts supporting Virgin Media, City Fibre and Openreach.Liam went through a similar trainingapprenticeshipschemessuchas, The skills and knowledge new engineers gain will assist with their future careers within Kelly Group. journey when he joined Kelly Group asapprenticeshipsareforpeoplewho a Fibre Splicer 3 years ago. I decidedarelessacademicinschool,or Were thrilled to introduce Alan Clarke, one of Kelly Groups apprentices who graduated earlierto apply for the scheme because of hisapprenticeships are not as valued as a thisyearfromtheUnifiedCommunicationsTechnicianApprenticeshipScheme;andNiamhpositive feedback and experience as adegree. None of this is true. OBrien, one of our Telecommunication Operative apprentices who is currently working on herFibre Splicer.qualifications to become a certified Telecommunications Engineer.I graduated with a First-Class Degree Before I joined the group I was workingfromGoldsmithsUniversity.My asaprofessionalactor.Duetothecurrentapprenticeshipcoursewith Upon graduating with a distinction, Alan joined our City Fibre contract as a fully qualified Fibrerecent global pandemic, the theatricalKellyGroupconsistsof2yearsofopinion, the biggest benefit of the role Engineer. industry slowed down, which createdintense training and what you gain isis a good work and life balance, which the chance for me to spend more timeknowledgethatmatchesorexceedswill allow me to continue performing developingnewskills.Iheardaboutahighereducationcertificate.as an actor.IpreviouslystudiedMechanicalcouple of weeks in the training centre,rest of my life. theapprenticeshipschemefrommyApprenticeship schemes are simply aMyadviceforfutureapprentices, Engineering at university. After manythen buddy up with an experiencedbrother,Liam.Ithoughtthiswasdifferent way of learning, if you do notespecially women, is to know your worth yearsofstudies,IknewIneededtoengineer to practice what we learntMy advice for future apprentices is,awonderfulopportunitytolearnabelieve university is the place for you,and have self-confidence. Kelly Group find an alternative means of learningin class. Once we mastered theto be successful in this apprenticeshipniche trade within a fast-progressingor you are more practically motivated,is excellent at listening and supporting and I found that apprenticeships arenecessary skills, we moved onto acourse you need to take your timeindustry. itisagreatopportunitytodevelopallemployeesincludingapprentices the best route for many people whodifferent contract and started thelearning all the technical elements ofskills that will secure you a sustainableso do not be afraid to speak up. It is prefer practical learning. process in one of the training centresthe course because it is fundamentalI am grateful for my mentor Liam andlong-term career. a family-oriented community that will again. This was a valuable process,to your success as a future engineer. my managers, Rashid and Dev. Theysupport you regardless of your gender Ialwayswantedtodevelopacareerand I can still rely on my mentors if Iall contributed to my quick progressionIt is a family-orientedorbackground.Thereisavarietyof inengineering,KellyGroupsever need help. -Alan Clarke,by coaching me on different systems, ApprenticeshipSchemewastheCity Fibre Engineer andhowtodeliveranoutstandingcommunity that will supportcomponents to this trade, and it is ok perfect opportunity for me to continueI always wanted to developservice continuously in such a broadyou regardless of your genderto take your time to learn and progress workingwhilegainingnewskillsanda career in engineering,field of work. or background. at your own pace.industryknowledgewhilebuildingKelly Groups Apprenticeship-Niamh OBrien, acareerasaTelecommunicationsScheme was the perfectTelecommunications Operative Engineer. opportunity. IamhopingtobecomeafullyApprenticequalified fibre splicer by the end of the Throughout theapprenticeshipscheme.Iwouldlike scheme, weMy trainers and mentors were alwaysto build a career within the industry, were trained onavailable to provide support, whetherand I hope to move into a managerial several majorwe were training in a classroom settingroleeventually,advocatingequal contracts.or in the field. My biggest achievementopportunities within the groupUsually, we wouldthroughouttheapprenticeshipIwouldhighlyrecommenddoing spend aexperiencewasgraduatingwithaanapprenticeshipwithKellyGroupThis job is a trade that you can take distinction.Iwasdelightedwiththeas it provides a job for life. There iswith you for the rest of your life and results. acommonmisconceptionaroundopensupawholenewworld.Inmy IwouldcertainlyrecommendThe groups apprentices gain up-to-date qualifications that completinganapprenticeshipwithmeet the telecommunications industry requirements such as Kelly Group.Openreach CALOMI accreditations, Virgin Media Installation The support is outstanding throughoutEngineer accreditations, City Fibre Installation Engineer theentireexperience.Ihavelearntaccreditations, Openreach Fibre Network Build accreditations and skills that I can benefit from for themany more.'