Leanne Gilhespie feared her office job ambitions were sinking fast after spending two years as a swimming pool lifeguard.
Unable to find a way into a business administration position, she turned to Access Training and was thrown the lifeline that has re-floated her career.
Now, having completed an advanced apprenticeship in business administration, Leanne, 20 and from Bensham, is working towards her advanced apprenticeship in customer service while being groomed for a service advisor and warranty administrator’s role with Hodgson Mazda/Suzuki in Newcastle.
Leanne waves goodbye to life as a lifeguard
“I can’t believe how quickly things have turned around and it’s all thanks to the guidance and support I’ve had from my training advisors. Access got me my first placement in a motor trade administration role and set me on the road to getting the right qualifications. I joined Hodgson in September and have had nothing but support and encouragement to develop my skills and experience.
“I am enjoying every day and gaining experience in the day to day running of the service department, dealing with customers and really getting to know how the business works. I’d love to work my way up to an admin management role.”
Leanne’s boss, service manager Andrew Plant, added: “Leanne has really settled in well, shows great enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. She has the potential to succeed in a busy demanding role if she continues to progress the way she has. I believe the training she is doing is also providing her with new skills and the confidence to apply them at work. She will also benefit from manufacturers’ and in-house training.”
Leanne is now part of a business which was founded by Les Hodgson in 1959, relocated its Mazda franchise to the Silverlink in 1992 and has since also introduced Suzuki and Toyota as well as investing £4 million in a flagship site near the Metro Centre. Hodgson is the UK’s Number one Mazda retail dealer as well as Suzuki dealer of the year 2006.
In partnership with ITEC North East and Gateshead College, Access Training forms the only Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) for business and management training in the North East. Established in 1989, it has helped over 4,000 young people into employment through apprenticeships. It is one of the first private training providers in the region to have undergone and passed an inspection by Ofsted – the Office for Standards in Education.
Training manager Chris Scott commented: “Work based learning is the ideal opportunity for many young people who want to earn while they learn. Leanne is the perfect example of what they can achieve in terms of building a platform to improve both job satisfaction and earnings potential.”
Apprenticeships are the corner stone of the Learning and Skills Council’s drive to improve the skills of young people. They offer training for existing staff and new recruits in a wide range of areas and there are over 160 different courses offering relevant training designed by business for business.
Trainees learn while they work, so their knowledge is up-to-date and because their training is on the job, the practical skills they gain are the ones that are right for business.