First Traineeships Successfully Progress to Employment

The first ICON TRAINING pilot Traineeship courses have recently been completed with social enterprise, Circadian and leisure provider, 1Life; both pilots have seen several trainees’ successfully progress onto an Apprenticeship or employment within the company upon completion, therefore proving how important the scheme is. Traineeships are a fantastic opportunity for young people in the UK who want a career in the active leisure industry and an ideal way to gain the skills and qualifications they need to become 'work-ready' and get their foot in the door.

The Government introduced Traineeship programmes as competition for Apprenticeships is high; the main aim is to help the many young people aged 16-24 who do not possess the qualifications and work experience essential for gaining employment. The Traineeship is essentially a pre-apprenticeship programme which provides young people with the skills, experience and qualifications to move onto an Apprenticeship within 8-14 weeks thanks to a guaranteed interview at the end of the training.

The Successful Trainees

17 year old Tommy has just completed a Fitness Traineeship at Loddon Valley (1Life). Since leaving School, Tommy had found it difficult to find full-time employment, therefore a Traineeship was the perfect solution. Thanks to his hard work and commitment, Tommy impressed his employers and went on to progress to employment with 1Life. Tommy explains: “I was being repeatedly told I did not have any industry experience when I was applying for jobs after School, so the Traineeship was a great opportunity for me. The work experience meant that there were no hidden surprises and you get to experience what it’s really like as well as gain industry qualifications. All the staff at Loddon Valley and my ICON TRAINING Skills Tutor have been very supportive; I would definitely recommend the programme as I doubt I would be working in the leisure industry today without it.”

Josh Smith who recently completed his Fitness Instructor Traineeship at Bradley Stoke Leisure (Circadian) and progressed onto an Apprenticeship said: “I love sport and I am always involved in some sort of activity mostly in the gym or swimming, however at the time I didn’t have enough money to do the course I wanted, so a free Traineeship seemed ideal as it had the combination of both the qualifications I needed and on the job experience, plus it only took 13 weeks. I would definitely not have progressed onto the Apprenticeship without this programme, it really helped me to prepare for full-time work thanks to the work experience and help and encouragement from my ICON TRAINING Skills Tutor and leisure managers.”

New Traineeship programmes are starting this month in Middlesex County Cricket Club (London). To find out more about Traineeships and opportunities near you visit icon-training.com/traineeships.