Jacqueline Pitcher

The apprenticeship route provides the best of both worlds. I was starting from scratch in a new career and this has given me real experience plus a qualification.

Jacqueline Pitcher isn't what you may think of as a typical apprentice. After gaining a degree in Conservation and Animal Behaviour she worked for over 10 years in a lab at Smith & Nephew before the company relocated to Hull in 2017. This relocation provided Jacqueline with the opportunity to consider a career change:

I'd recently moved to a house with a garden and my passion for gardening started to grow from there but I didn't expect it to become a job and had no idea how I could get into a job without the knowledge or skills.

When Jacqueline saw the Horticulture and Landscape Operative role offered as an apprenticeship at the University, she decided to apply and she started in the role in August 2017.

No two days are the same and Jacqueline undertakes a wide range of tasks including seasonal planting, grass cutting (which she find very therapeutic!), strimming, pruning, hedge cutting, plant propagation in the walled garden and gritting the paths in winter. In addition she has received training with the sports team for example marking the different sport pitches.

She does block release sessions at Askham Bryan College and is on track to get her level 2 qualification in Horticulture this summer.

When asked what doing an apprenticeship offers in addition to a job, Jacqueline considers it to be the depth of knowledge that you acquire. She also feels more confident now, both in terms of knowing what she is doing and why she is doing it for example when to prune different species of plant to encourage flowering. Meeting other likeminded people at college from all different backgrounds has also been hugely beneficial.

Sarah Farrell who is the Development Partner of Apprenticeships and Accreditation and manages the spending of our Apprenticeship Levy adds:

"Apprenticeships offer a unique opportunity to recruit, develop and retain talented people at all levels of the University. The individual benefits by securing both investment in their career and an exciting development programme. The University benefits by actively demonstrating that we are an employer of choice. By growing our own people, we are supporting them to be at their best and carve a career path that is truly their own."

When asked what advice Jacqueline would give to managers considering taking on an apprentice, she says:

"They should look beyond initial perceptions - I am the perfect example of an apprentice who doesn't fit the mould. Employers get to recruit somebody who really wants to learn and they end up with a skilled member of staff with the knowledge to support their experience. It's a win-win situation."

Considering taking on an apprentice? To find out more about how apprenticeships can work for you,

Contact us about an apprenticeshipEmail Sarah Farrell in the Learning and Development team