Osborne Celebrates National Apprenticeship Week

Osborne is marking National Apprenticeship Week (14-18 March) by highlighting the success of its own apprentices in gaining new skills and experience.

Osborne’s Apprenticeship Awards are in their second year and come as Osborne Property Services continues to increase the number of apprentices it employs – 37 in 2016, more than double last year.

A key theme of National Apprenticeship Week 2016 is ‘rise to the top’ and Osborne has embraced this by supporting a number of existing employees to further their careers through management apprenticeships.

Agata Sungaila, 26, is a Planning Supervisor on Osborne Property Services’ repairs, maintenance and voids contract with the London Borough of Waltham Forest. She has recently begun a Management Level Three apprenticeship programme to develop her skills as a frontline manager of repairs operatives (see case study, below).
Agata, who has this week been named Osborne’s Apprentice of the Year, said: ‘The course is the challenge that I had been looking for. The apprenticeship is helping me to build skills required for my role now and for my future career. I do believe it is spot on for my position right now.’

Agata’s line manager, Craig Gough, said: ‘Agata has become a more organised manager and she has learnt to delegate to her team instead of doing everything herself.’
Agata added: ‘Osborne is very welcoming, creates a pleasant working environment and really gives you the scope to excel. It has a wide range of apprenticeships with full support and supervision.’

The Osborne Apprenticeship Awards also recognised several other apprentices for their exceptional efforts. These include: Cassie Gorman, a Customer Liaison Officer in Osborne’s Dacorum planned works team, who is studying for her NVQ Level Three in Customer Service; and Nigel Ashenden, a Responsive Repairs Supervisor in Winchester undertaking his Management Level Three NVQ.
Separately, Aaron Maskell, a Cost Controller who has recently completed NVQ Level Two in Contact Centre Operations, has been named ‘Learner of the Month’ for February 2016 by training company Smart Training. The company says the award ‘recognises apprentices who demonstrate vocational excellence and a great attitude to learning’.

Graca Machado, Director of Customer Experience at Osborne Property Services, said: ‘I am proud that we are supporting people to gain skills and experience that will open up a fantastic career to them.
‘It is right to celebrate the achievements of apprentices in National Apprenticeship Week and at our awards, but we are very clear that this is a full-time responsibility for us as a large employer to help train the next generation of construction professionals.’

The Osborne Apprenticeship Awards was established in 2015 to celebrate the achievements of Osborne apprentices from across the business.

In the past 12 months, Osborne has further strengthened its commitment to apprenticeships by working as part of a ‘trailblazer’ group of exemplar companies that was formed by government invitation to create a Customer Service Apprenticeship Standard.

Osborne is also now a fully signed-up member of the prestigious 5% Club. This commits Osborne to ensuring at least 5% of employees are apprentices, sponsored students or graduate trainees.