City & Guilds and ILM recently reached 10,000 end-point assessments delivered.
To celebrate this milestone we spoke to Sarah Gravestock, the 10,000th person to undertake EPA with us, about her experience.
Sarah works as a Team Leader for Cheshire East Council in the Customer Services department, leading a team of 12 staff.
“We are the first line of contact at the council and deal with a huge amount of calls and face to face enquiries from the public ranging from council tax and benefits to planning and licensing.”
After working at the council for 20 years, Sarah became interested in taking the next step in leadership and management after deputising for the Customer Service Centres Manager on occasion. She decided the ILM Operations/Departmental Manager Level 5 apprenticeship looked like the ideal opportunity.
“I always knew that I could take the next step, and the apprenticeship enhanced the existing experience I had, whilst adding new knowledge and skills.”
Sarah describes her experience and how it felt to be awarded a distinction.
“It was a great feeling and has boosted my confidence in my role.
Already I have been using the knowledge and tools I have picked up to work with and coach my team. I have seen immediate results around staff engagement, especially with the coaching model and action plans. I now have increased confidence in my ability to drive improvements across my teams and within my organisation.
It proves that the way apprenticeships are structured, has a huge impact in a real-life working environment.”
If you’re considering an apprenticeship, then Sarah has some advice for you.
“I would say just go for it! The interesting thing is that I now have an 18-year old son, who is looking into the world of work. I have been recommending this option to him, as I can see the benefits of earning and learning at the same time.
I must admit I didn’t enjoy school and was keen to enter the workforce straight away. What I have learnt is that learning never stops, and anyone at any stage of their career can benefit from new skills and knowledge.”
Sarah took her apprenticeship with Macclesfield College. Director of Employer Enterprise and Commercial Services, Tracy Cosgrave said;
“Macclesfield College is delighted that Sarah has been identified as the 10,000th person to undertake end-point assessment with City & Guilds and ILM. Sarah has been a fantastic student who has worked hard to achieve her ILM Operations Manager Level 5 apprenticeship. We have large numbers of apprentices studying management qualifications and, as we have had worked with ILM for many years, we have no hesitation in recommending them to our employers when it came to choosing their end-point assessment organisation.”
We are delighted to hear how the ILM apprenticeship has boosted Sarah’s confidence to take the next step at East Cheshire Council and we look forward to continuing to deliver the next 10,000 EPAs to guide many more skilled apprentices to success.
