whg stars shine during National Apprenticeship Week

whg is shining the spotlight on its apprentices as it celebrates National Apprenticeship Week.

The leading Midlands’ landlord currently has 23 apprentices within the business who are working towards a qualification while gaining experience in the housing sector.

Among these are five colleagues upskilling and working towards degrees as part of a Higher Level apprenticeship.

An additional eight colleagues who joined the organisation as apprentices in recent years have now progressed within whg.

As part of National Apprenticeship Week, which takes place from 6 to 12 February, whg is sharing the success stories of some of these apprentices and those who have progressed into full time roles and show how the scheme is supporting local people into a career in housing.

One of these Itayi Makande. Itayi, who used to work as a care advisor decided he wanted a new challenge and joined whg as an Apprentice Lettings Advisor. This led to him being offered a role as a Housing Advisor.

Itayi said: “My apprenticeship allowed me to gain much needed experience within the housing sector and more importantly it gave me the breathing space I needed to understand the people and the business as a whole. I’m now part of the Tenancy Transition Team and my journey continues.”

Lisa Wallis, Corporate Director of People and Learning, said: “We want to make a real difference to customers and communities and create employment opportunities that will support people starting out in their careers. Our apprenticeship programme has been really successful, with a  number of trainees progressing into permanent positions with us. We always encourage under represented groups to apply for our apprenticeships, and the scheme has brought new skills and fresh eyes into the organisation, ensuring we have a workforce that represents the communities we serve.”