In celebration of National Apprenticeship Week 2023, business improvement specialists BBI Services are highlighting the contribution made by the apprentices in their team.

The organisation, which strives to help major players in the built environment maximise performance, perfect their processes, and unleash their people’s potential, currently has two employees completing apprenticeships.

Sharon Redshaw has worked at BBI Services for six years in finance and is completing a level three Assistant Accountant apprenticeship. After finishing sixth form, Sammy King joined the team in the summer of 2021 as a Marketing Apprentice.

Sharon is currently in the final stages of her apprenticeship; having already passed 5 unit exams she is now revising for her final exam, whilst also completing her portfolio. Sharon’s effort has been acknowledged by her Paragon Skills Tutor, who nominated Sharon for the AAT impact award, although she wasn’t shortlisted, Sharon appreciated the nomination.

Sammy is also in the final stages of her apprenticeship, prepping for her knowledge exam and end-point assessment project. Sammy plans to continue her development by attending night school, in the coming years to Study levels 4 and 6 in marketing.

“At my sixth form, apprenticeships weren’t widely promoted and when I confirmed that I didn’t want to apply for university, I didn’t receive as much support as my peers,” explains Sammy.

“Construction was also only promoted as a manual industry, focusing on bricklaying, carpentry and plumbing and I had no idea of the breadth of roles and opportunities it had to offer.

“My apprenticeship is really the best of both worlds and has created endless opportunities throughout my 2 years. I have gained practical work experience in a real office environment and have developed my professional skills with clients, partners, and colleagues, as well as visiting projects we are working on.”

Supporting apprenticeships isn’t a new venture for BBI Services – it’s something the organisation has been involved in before. Emma Hope, PA and Office Manager at BBI, completed a level three business administrator apprenticeship in 2021 and achieved a distinction. Emma said: “This was the first apprenticeship I’ve ever done, and I enjoyed it so much that I’ve been encouraging other members of the BBI team to consider doing one.

“I think there’s a stigma with apprenticeships that they’re only suitable for school leavers, but that’s not the case. They provide everybody with a great opportunity to learn and develop while working full time.”

BBI Services CEO Mark Worrall comments: “I’m delighted by the amazing contribution our apprentices make, and believe apprenticeships are crucial both for introducing new people into the industry and for further developing the talent we already have.

“I’m really proud of everything Sharon, Sammy and Emma have achieved so far and am sure Sharon and Sammy will achieve their desired goals in the coming months.”