A Spotlight on two of our AAT Apprentices, who are also Key Workers:
I’m sure you, like us (and most of the nation), have been outside on our balconies, doorsteps, or in the street to cheer for the NHS and key workers every Thursday night at 8.00 pm.
We are fortunate to live in the countryside and going out last night to cheer the NHS was particularly surreal – across the valleys, we could hear the echo of claps, cheers, and the rattling of pots and pans for a good 10 minutes. It demonstrates just how grateful we all are for the truly heroic work they do.
Included in the cheering for those key workers are two of our AAT Apprentices – despite their dedication and hard work, they still manage to find the time to continue with their AAT training.
Here’s a brief spotlight on them:
Chloe joined us on the L3 Apprenticeship program towards the end of 2018 working within SWAST as a Trainee Accountant. Chloe is an extremely bright student achieving consistently high scores and has been a delight to tutor throughout her program. Her knowledge of the inner workings of the Trust shows a strong understanding of how her apprenticeship and specific role can benefit SWAST and her systems abilities are a true asset to her team.
Chloe’s program is fully funded via the apprenticeship scheme and despite the current climate, we are still able to fully support Chloe and deliver the apprenticeship remotely. Chloe is therefore able to continue working and studying. Chloe regularly attends virtual drop-in sessions via MS Office 365 Teams which includes group video conferencing, file sharing, and a group chat in which Chloe can connect with her tutor and fellow students. This helps to maintain a good routine and structure to her week. Once Chloe has completed her portfolio, we will guide her through the file uploading process, after which she will be able to attend her End Point Discussion via a Zoom conference call.
Chloe has taken all the recent changes in her stride, focusing on the positives. Well done Chloe, we salute you and your commitment to your role and the contribution to your place of work!
Abi became an accounting apprentice in February 2019 and has made excellent progress in her job, learning how to prepare accounts and audit companies. She works really hard on her AAT studies too and is currently studying for her penultimate exam.
Due to the current lockdown, Abi has been furloughed but that has not stopped her working in her local Sainsbury’s store to keep the shelves stocked so that we all have food to eat. Thank you, Abi for your extra effort.
Support
Soon we’ll be into our 5th week of lockdown, and inevitably, some will be finding things particularly tough, whether you are a key worker, home-worker, furloughed, a carer, without work and so on.
Chatting to the team here at AL, there are a number of resources we’ve come across that you might find helpful:
If you’re struggling to sleep or want to listen to something soothing, there is an 8 hour YouTube recording by Johnnie Lawson of birds and a stream. It has had 30 million views, which gives an indication of its popularity with insomniacs. You can view it here.
And some of our Apprentices found this ‘Every Mind Matters’ NHS site helpful when their tutor ran through it with them during an online 365 Teams session.
Other resources you might want to try:
This site includes a list of NHS mental health apps
BetterHelp (an online counselling app)
Until next time, another BIG thank you to the NHS and Key Workers – stay safe 😊
Written by Chrissy, Ros, and Prue
