This week is National Apprenticeship Week, so there’s no better time to celebrate the fantastic apprentices we have worked with at Jenx.
Jenx works with Ascend, an organisation run by Together for Sheffield which provides training and mentoring for young people and helps match them with local employers. They are initially offered work experience, with a view to progressing to an apprenticeship opportunity.
We also work with Opportunity Sheffield, a programme run by Sheffield City Council which provides work experience and apprenticeship opportunities for young people.
Lauren Luther is an apprentice warehouse operative at Jenx, whose main responsibilities are quality checking, packing and picking items for export.
Lauren said: “A great thing about working at Jenx is that my role involves a variety of tasks so I don’t get bored of doing the same thing.
“I find that I learn better by doing things rather than sitting in a classroom, so an apprenticeship is great for me. I am also learning transferable skills which I can use across a range of jobs and industries.
“I think apprenticeships are great because they allow you to gain experience of the workplace and life after education, and you get paid as you learn.”
Karen Grace, HR Manager said: “At Jenx, we take care to build strong community links and offer a highly supportive environment for our apprentices to thrive. It’s fantastic to see many of them progress during their time with us. Lauren has been fantastic and we are delighted to have her in the team.
“We are hoping to take on up to four new apprentices this year and are working with our partners at Ascend and Opportunity Sheffield to identify suitable candidates. We also work with a number of different training providers depending on the type of apprenticeship the staff member is undertaking to support them as they take their first steps into employment.
“Apprentices are the future of the workforce, and we believe the supportive environment we offer at Jenx helps them to thrive. It’s been great to see our apprentices, including Lauren, progress within the organisation and add real value as they build their skills and experience.”
Nathan Bruce is a Workplace Learning Mentor at The Source Skills Academy and supports our apprentices to ensure they flourish at Jenx.
Nathan said: “Lauren has clearly fitted in well within her team and has developed good knowledge and understanding of the procedures and processes in place at the organisation. She has also gained a lot of new skills from the responsibilities she has taken on in her role.
“It is great to see how far Lauren has developed since starting her apprenticeship in August last year and I look forward to continuing to work with her towards the on-programme learning.”
Dan Holland, Production Supervisor at Jenx said: “Lauren’s been great since she joined the team.
“She has brought enthusiasm and handwork to the team, she is inquisitive about the process and she’s a great team player, willing to help anyone out where she can.
“From the time I’ve spent with her, one of her best attributes is that she is coachable, which I think is a massive part of learning new skills. She really has been a pleasure to have around.”
We are proud that we have given opportunities to many young people seeking to work in the manufacturing industry over the past 40 years, and many of them have gone on to have great careers.
Howard Johnson, Quality and Health and Safety Compliance Manager at Jenx said: “In my opinion, the benefits of any young person doing an apprenticeship is the experience they will gain through being ‘on the job’, not only learning all aspects of their particular job but also gaining experience of working with other people – the whole package.
“It is a pleasure to watch apprentices grow in confidence and ability through working alongside other members of staff who can share their hands-on experience.”
