One of the UK’s leading recruitment and training agencies, Acorn, has taken on four new apprentices in South Wales.
Pippa Underdown, 19, from Barry, in the Vale of Glamorgan, joins the Cardiff branch, Cara Bowen, 17, from Glyn, Neath, joins the Swansea branch and Hannah Nassa, 19, and Nathan Thomas, 18, both from Newport join Acorn’s business development team based in their head office in Celtic Springs near Newport.
All four apprentices have been recruited as apprentice administrators where they will experience their first taste of a working environment, which will be particularly challenging as the the recruitment industry is well known for being extremely fast-paced.
During their apprenticeships, the new starters will work towards a vocational qualification, gaining the essential skills required in the office environment. From learning how to create reports and using up-to-date IT systems, to managing customer relations, the candidates will be prepared for the working environment and given the chance of working for Acorn permanently. In return the apprentices will bring to the company fresh new ideas and an enthusiasm for learning new skills.
Director of operations for the South, Maria Larcombe, said of the new appointments: “We are extremely pleased to welcome all our new apprentices. Vocational Qualifications are an effective way of learning, particularly for those who prefer learning through work rather than the traditional form of education. It’s a very powerful way of getting your dream job.”
In November 2011, Acorn’s Training Division was named Apprenticeship Provider of the Year Wales at the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru. The award recognised the company’s “record for innovation and delivering learning and development solutions that add real value.”
Acorn Learning Corporate Development Director Helena Williams said: “The development of bespoke / customised apprenticeship programmes for employers utilise a mixture of delivery partners and ensure that both the learner and employer receive the most suitable and appropriate training, and that the required outcomes are met.”