Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week

As part of National Apprenticeship Week 2024, we caught up with Sam Briddick, a Senior Support Practitioner at the Grove Lodge and Courtyard. Sam is currently studying for a Level 3 Adult Care qualification with Mariposa Care.

Mariposa is committed to developing its workforce and offers a number of funded apprenticeships in health and social care, as well as other apprenticeship opportunities including Business Administration, Catering, Property Maintenance and Team Leadership.

Apprenticeships are based on a person’s job role, have educational equivalents and generally take between one and five years to complete, depending on the level. We support apprenticeships from Level 2 (equivalent to GCSE level) up to Level 5 (equivalent to a foundation degree).

A Level 3 Lead Adult Care Worker apprenticeship is split into different units of learning, covering topics such as understanding CQC fundamental standards and policies, effective communication  and safeguarding. As part of an apprenticeship, every apprentice is guaranteed six hours of off-the-job training, where they can focus on their learning and develop their skills even further. Sam explains more about how it works.

How many hours a week is dedicated to your apprenticeship?  

An average of six to eight hours each week. This time is spent conducting research on the unit before then writing a unit assignment, proofreading it and then uploading it on to our online assessment system. Although each assignment is different in length, I still ensure I have enough information to be able to answer the questions appropriately and professionally. The safeguarding unit and medication unit took me more time as these units were not only large but are vital to my role, so I wanted to ensure I didn’t miss anything important.

How is the apprenticeship delivered?

It’s generally online – I have a meeting with my tutor over Teams, where we discuss the unit and she gives me support and advice. My tutor has been a fantastic support throughout my apprenticeship and is always there at the end of a quick email.

How long have you worked for Mariposa?

I started with Mariposa in September 2021 – I have family who work for the same company and were constantly recommending it to me. I began as a support worker and within the year, the manager at the time asked me if I would like to train up to be a Senior Support Practitioner which I gladly accepted. I then began my apprenticeship around May 2022.

Do you have any words of advice for managing studying with working?

Include your manager – they can offer you valuable support. My manager has been very supportive and has always ensured I am OK and has responded to questions regarding my apprenticeship immediately. I would also recommend taking time for yourself – even just an hour a day otherwise you’ll begin to feel like all you do is work and study and will soon become disheartened!

Do you have any words of advice for people thinking about taking an apprenticeship in health and social care?

My advice for anyone thinking of taking on an apprenticeship would be simply, just go for it! You’re already performing the role and you’re going to have a qualification at the end of it. As for a career in health and social care – well, in my own personal opinion, I believe it is one of the most rewarding careers you could have.

If you’d like to discover more about our current apprenticeships, take a look at our career development opportunities by following the link here.