The Journey of an Apprentice

03.06.2020

01.05.2020

28.02.2020

Proud that members of my team want to follow in my footsteps and complete their Level 3 Housing and Property Management course.

It makes sense that I am their mentor for this course going forward, despite me being their out going Manager. I’ve developed a great relationship with this team, so I’m excited to see how they all progress.

21.02.2020

On a flight from Luton to Prague, for a much needed break away with the wife and friends. The flight gives me time to reflect on my project and what I want to achieve.

Mental health is on everyone’s lips right now. The sad news of Caroline Flack’s suicide has really engulfed the nations rage, with the majority of people pointing the blame firmly at the door of the media and the so called keyboard warriors, who write truly horrific things about people they have never met and then hide behind animosity.

I didn’t know Caroline Flack, but I know friends and family who suffer from poor mental health. The internal battle the sufferer goes through is soul destroying. As a Line Manager I cant think of anything worse, than one of my team feeling so alone and withdrawn that the only option they feel they have is death.

I always make sure that the first question I ask my team whe I see them is “how are you?”. A simple enough question, but if someone is suffering from mental illness, this question could potentially be the difference between life and death.

I feel so passionate about my project and making sure that it centres around the mental well being of my team and colleagues. I feel that my company ‘thinks’ it does a lot for mental well-being of it’s staff. Yes, we have mental first aiders, but In all honestly I feel we can do more. My question is, why wait for someone to approach a mental health first aided? What can we do to be proactive and reach out and make initial contact with someone suffering. Maybe my company does and it’s something I’m not aware of! My first step is to find this out.

12.02.2020

Starting to pick up a routine for when I go to the Catch 22 offices to complete my level 4 Housing and Property Management Course. Leave house nice and early, around 7am. I get to Station around 7:20, by 8:20 I’m getting off the train Barbican station. Time for a quick coffee and bacon sandwich at a local cafe, before I head to the Catch 22 offices. I tend to get there with an and half to spare. This time is so important to me. The offices are quiet, no other Apprentices are there, not even our Tutor has arrived. This time is bliss, I set myself up for the day. I start by making my team aware I’m unreachable, unless it’s an emergency. I then work on emails to clear the back log, so my focus can be on the training session.

The session itself today was nice and relaxing. We spoke about updating our CPD (Continued Professional Development) and also what to expect from the EPA (End Point Assessment). I think it is a testament to the CIH and catch 22, how invested they are in this course and how they are learning from previous delays. My point here is primarily aimed at EPA. The EPA when I completed my level 3, felt like it was shrouded in some kind of mystery. However, for our level 4 course, it is now clear and concise, which enables all the apprentices the opportunity to start working on it sooner.

Thoughts at the moment on my EPA, I want to base it around Mental Awareness. Watch this space!!