Whickham Villa News

Whickham Villa LLP, which encompasses Chase Park Rehabilitation Centre and Millfied House care home on the same site, teamed-up with several local schools including Whickham School, St Thomas More School, King Meadows School and Emmanuel College to help arrange the apprenticeship event.

The decision to hold the open day and award two new apprenticeships follows the huge success of current apprentice Shauni Paxton. The 17-year old is well on her way to completing her nine-month placement at Whickham Villa LLP after the company joined the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) programme last year.

The event took place last week at the firm’s state-of-the-art Gateshead-based facility and was attended by 15-18-year old students studying health and social studies. It coincided with National Apprentice Week aimed at raising awareness of the value that apprentices bring to business.

Alistair McDonald, business development director at award-winning Whickham Villa LLP, said: “When Shauni arrived last year, her enthusiasm and desire to learn about healthcare was a breath of fresh air. She has since continued to progress and is highly regarded by everyone in the organisation.

“On completing her apprenticeship, she can decide whether to stay with us on a permanent basis or use her experience of working with older people as a platform to apply for university or a further nursing qualification.

“Not only has Shauni inspired this open day, but is very much the blueprint for what we are looking for this year. We have therefore been working very closely with training providers Access Training and Learning Links along with teachers at the schools involved to use this event to promote the benefits of apprenticeships.

“The open day not only provided students with an insight into a real-life health and social care environment but also encouraged some to apply for our and other apprenticeship schemes,” added Alistair.

The event also received a noteworthy endorsement from national body Skills for Care. Anna McLaren, regional development officer at Skills for Care, said: “We were delighted to hear of the work going on at Whickham Villa LLP in providing apprenticeship opportunities for young people and working with local schools to raise the profile of care. 

“It is great that young people have the chance to see and hear about what it is really like working in care and how they can make a difference. Social care is set to grow, even through the recession, so offers a fantastic career opportunity.   

“Apprenticeships are a great way to build relevant, up to date skills and knowledge so that people who work in care can provide the best high quality support to those who need it. It is very unusual for an employer to support young apprenticeships and promote them in such a way, so the event is something we are very keen to support.”