When Oldham sales specialist Gary Byrne celebrated his 40th birthday in 2020, he thought his chance of passing his Maths and English GCSEs had long gone.
Now Gary – who works in the automotive industry for Oldham Audi (part of Jardine Motors Group) – is on the brink of completing his Level 3 Team Leader Apprenticeship thanks to training provider Realise. He has secured the equivalent of a GCSE in Maths and English and is already looking forward to his next qualification opportunity.
National Apprenticeship Week starts today and Gary has a message to anyone his age who is contemplating future opportunities – it’s never too late to start an apprenticeship.
Brilliant experience
Gary, who lives in Greenfield and was previously in the Army, said: “I joined Jardine Motors Group in May 2021.
“I soon became aware of the brilliant training and development programme on offer and a few days later I was signed up to start my Level 3 apprenticeship.
“It’s not what I thought I’d be doing in my 40s but it’s been an absolutely brilliant experience and I can’t speak highly enough of Jardine for providing the opportunity and Realise for the training they have provided.
“My trainer, Charlotte Gregory, has been fantastic at making each session bespoke to each individual and that has made a huge difference. The course has been really interesting and completely relevant for the automotive industry and the job I’m operating in at the moment, as well as the positions I aim to progress to.
“The thinking that apprenticeships are only for people who are young and maybe just out of school is very much out-of-date. A lot of apprenticeships now are built around allowing people to develop who are a little older, established in their job roles and looking to progress further by creating bespoke programmes around their specific job.
“Whatever your age, if you are thinking of doing an apprenticeship, my message would be to go for it.”
Gary is due to enter the final stages of his apprenticeship in the coming weeks and, once he has completed his Level 3 qualification, his sights are already firmly set on beginning his Level 5 apprenticeship.
