The Most Issue 2

“I have gained an abundance of new skills to a much greater extent than I first imagined; working with challenging and vulnerable people in the community has massively developed my social skills as well as professional skills. I have also gained some new cherished relationships in my time as an apprentice. I often surprise people when I say I’m an apprentice, as their first thought is that I’m doing a firefighter’s apprenticeship as they are unaware of the many pathways within the fire service.” MICHAEL, 20 Ashley Roberts, Apprenticeship Manager at Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service says: “Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service provide many wonderful opportunities for apprentices of all ages and in a multitude of careers. Apprenticeships are fully embedded across the organisation and are used as a tool for de- veloping skills and supporting training, whilst allowing the individual to achieve a nationally recognised qualification. We are proud to serve the people in our communities but equally as proud to ensure that recruitment comes directly from the area we serve, therefore empowering and improving the communities through high quality training and development.” | 12