Leanne Crawford, second year Higher Level Apprentice in Supply Chain & Logistics at Northern Regional College, and works as a Supply Chain Specialist with Wrightbus.
A Higher Level Apprenticeship (HLA) can be a ‘win win’ for both employers and employees.
County Antrim woman, Leanne Crawford, who is a Supply Chain Specialist with Wrightbus in Ballymena and second year Higher Level Supply Chain & Logistics Apprentice at Northern Regional College, has given the Higher Level Apprenticeship a ringing endorsement.
A Higher Level Apprenticeship is an increasingly popular way to ‘earn as you learn’. It is designed to meet the needs of employers for higher skill levels and can lead to professional accreditation and qualifications equivalent to a degree.
Apprentices spend four days each week with their employer and one day in the College as they work towards achieving a nationally recognised professional qualification. Employers benefit as Higher Level Apprentices can help fill skills gaps in the workplace.
Leanne said she found the combination of part-time study and employment useful:
“The time in College gives a better understanding of the importance and relevance of the theory and my own experience of working with Wrightbus allows me to see how the theory works in practice.”
She continued: “The lecturers are excellent with relevant professional experience and the course content is very up to date to deal with current supply chain issues. I also learnt a lot from networking with others in the class and from the regular company visits and guest speakers.”
Leanne, who did the HLA to help with her own career progression at Wrightbus, said the company, were most supportive of her studying part-time.
“While the HLA could improve my own promotion prospects, my increased knowledge of supply chain & logistics will ultimately benefit Wrightbus too as it can be applied in the workplace to implement improvements.”
A Higher Level Apprenticeship can allow employers to fill higher level skills gap by developing existing staff; attract higher calibre staff and increase productivity. An incentive payment may be available to employers whose apprentices successfully complete their training.
In addition to the Higher Level Apprenticeship in Supply Chain & Logistics, Northern Regional College offers apprenticeships in other occupational areas, including Accountancy, Children's Care, Learning & Development (Leadership and Management Pathway), Computing, Construction, Construction Engineering with Surveying, and Engineering.
To apply and for further information visit www.nrc.ac.uk