Alf Berrington, Driver & Social Care Worker at Knowsley Council, has completed his Adult Care (Level 3 Standard) and is determined to keep learning and developing in his role. Passionate about his role and caring for others, Alf decided to enhance his skills with an Apprenticeship from St Helens Chamber Business School.
Alf explained: “When the course was presented to me, my colleagues and I were discussing whether to go ahead with the training. We all came to the decision that it would definitely be worthwhile to pursue the training as our jobs need a certificate behind them.
“Progressing to my Level 3 qualification has helped me show my management that I am committed to my role and that I am genuinely interested in the industry. It also shows that I am committed to my clients too, as I want to ensure that my qualifications are up to date and that I have all the knowledge I need.”
Working as an Social Care Worker for over 9 years, Alf was already highly knowledgeable in his field – however, he recognised the importance of constantly learning and developing and ensuring his skills were up to date.
Alf continued: “Although I’ve been a Care Worker for a long time, and am almost at the age where I’d start planning for retirement – I still have a lot to give in the workplace. So, the training really helped me re-enforce what I already knew, and showed me that I am still following the correct procedures and best practices when delivering care.
“It also opened my eyes – there was a lot I thought I knew, but it turned out I was mistaken. So overall, it was a really valuable experience for me, even though I already have over 9 years care work behind me.”
Alf enjoys a wealth of responsibility in his role at Knowsley Council, and is going from strength to strength in his job with the backing of his Adult Care (Level 3 Standard) qualification.
Alf explained: “During my role I pick up service users who don’t have transport, bring them to the relevant centres which they need to go to for the day and also I deliver general social care.
“My role is varied and I need to be up to date with policy and procedure, so it was important to me to get another qualification behind me to show I am committed to this.”
Alf trained with St Helens Chamber Business School, who offer a range of Apprenticeship training which can be tailored to match a business’ needs or to be highly job-specific.
Alf added: “I enjoyed all of the training, and Karen Baden my Training Adviser was fantastic. She was approachable and knowledgeable and guided me through the units where I needed some extra help. She kept me on track throughout the Apprenticeship.
“I would say to anyone who is offered the opportunity to take up Apprenticeship training to go and grab the chance!”
If you’d like to find out more about Apprenticeship Standards and training your employees, call our Workforce Development team on 01744 742 333 or email workforce@sthelenschamber.com
