In support of National Apprenticeship Week Mobius Training and Consultancy Limited took the opportunity to speak with Louise Huckle, who is looking to pursue a career in health and safety by finding a job that would also support her to become a Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) apprentice.
Hi Louise can you tell us why you would like to become a SHE apprentice?
“I have always liked the idea of health and safety because I had to do it as part of my hospitality and catering course at college. I liked learning about the different types of fire extinguishers, safety signage and learning the chemical symbols. As part of the courses I had to learn which chemicals I could use and how long I could use them for.”
The SHE apprenticeship covers a multitude of subjects such as accident investigation, safe systems of work, identifying hazards and how to influence change within a work environment. Apprentice’s will also strive to create a positive work culture as well as ensuring the business is legally compliant.
What attracted you to the safety and health industry?
“You need health and safety in every work environment. You need someone to make sure that people are doing things correctly and in the right way so you need to have procedures in place to protect the company as well as protecting the employees.”
The training programme will teach the apprentice about accountability and responsibilities in relation to safety and health. As well as how good practice can have a positive impact on how an organisation operates. The training programme not only teaches the technical elements of health and safety but it also provides the tools and knowledge to effectively manage SHE in a workplace.
What do you hope to learn as part of the SHE apprenticeship?
“This apprenticeship will be a brand new fresh start for me. I wants to learn more about what goes into making sure a workplace is up to the standards that it needs to be.”
Louise is hoping that by doing the SHE apprenticeship she will be able to increase her skills and knowledge, which will hopefully open up the market to further job opportunities in the future. She is aware that safety and health is an integral part of many business and is excited to learn about all of the different functions and operations within a business and how her actions can help to shape the way other employees view safety in the workplace.
How will you use these skills in the future?
“In the workplace I would make sure that everything is in the right place and ensure that there isn’t anything that’s going to fall on someone or cause an accident. These things might not happen but as a safety representative I would ensure that it doesn’t.”
The SHE apprentice can use the skills and knowledge they gain in all aspects of their life and incorporate safety and health as a fundamental part of their job role. Louise wants to be involved with assessing risk and implementing solutions. The skills she will learn as part of her training such as how to write a business case, and how to present information to a management team will also be useful in all aspects of her career progression.
What are your career aspirations?
“I will see where it goes. My end goal will be to go into the food preparation side of the catering industry. I currently have a level 1 & 2 in hospitality & catering and have completed a level 3 qualification in cakes and patisserie. Catering is my passion along with safety and health. I’d like to think I can aim high and reach far in health and safety within the hospitality industry. It’s always good to have high qualifications and this qualification is exciting allowing me to learn, train and work at the same time.”
On completion of the 2 year training programme, apprentices who successfully pass can go onto become technical members of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). They can also progress their career within health and safety. The SHE apprenticeship programme allows people to work within any sector, any industry and any organisation.
To any organisations looking to take on a SHE apprentice or up-skill an existing member of staff, what should you do?
If you’re an employer why not think about taking on someone like Louise to join your team and train as an apprentices. You may also have existing employees who would like to develop their skills and knowledge by becoming an apprentice.
Health and Safety is an integral part of any organisations success and can also help to boost business performance. Statistics show that for every 1 euro invested in safety and health you get a 120% return on investment so why delay talk to us at Mobius Training and Consultancy Limited. We can guide you through the process of taking on an apprentice and how the apprenticeship funding levy works. The funding will go towards covering the cost of the training and end point assessment . For more information or to download the brochures please visit the apprenticeship page on our website or email us at info@mobius-training.co.uk
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