Sarah Crean has recently completed her Level 3 Apprenticeship in Business Administration thanks to support from St Helens Chamber.
At the age of 16 Sarah began working for a family-owned automotive training company. With changes in staffing, Sarah stepped up and took on a new role, so began to upskill and work towards her Business Administration qualification.
Sarah commented: “I wanted to better understand the business side of things and learn how to run a business.
“As staff left I found there was a gap in my skills, so I wanted to upskill and fill the gaps in my knowledge whilst gaining a qualification.
“It’s nice to have a support system behind you and someone to offer advice and guidance when you don’t know if you’re doing something right, even if it hasn’t got anything to do with the course itself.”
Whilst completing her qualification Sarah has had to overcome obstacles, but throughout this she remained positive.
Sarah added: “My training adviser, Lynn, was immensely helpful. During the course my employer ceased trading and I went through a near vertical learning curve in a new job.
“I also had a break in learning as I had a badly fractured leg in February. It is a measure of the lady that she still kept in touch.
“The Chamber have also supported me with my literacy skills. I’m not fantastic with my written English and am a lot better at explaining myself through speaking, so Lynn worked to my strengths and allowed me to present my work verbally.
When her previous employer ceased training Sarah began working for Autism Initiatives in Bootle.
“My new employers were more than happy for me to continue my Apprenticeship, supporting me to achieve my qualification.
“Throughout the course I have learnt a lot more about myself and that I can do things and should have more confidence in my abilities.
“Lynn has been prompt, efficient, friendly and very clear and supportive in all our meetings and given me added confidence to look to advance my career.”
For more information about Business Training contact our Workforce Development Team on 01744 742333 or email workforce@sthelenschamber.com.
