Sharon Dryden – Health and Wellbeing Manager of Age UK Gateshead
Throughout the lockdown, Age UK Gateshead worked seven days a week to provide services to cope with the demand not only from their clients but other isolated and vulnerable people. With the help of their volunteers they were able to provide services such as daily hot meals, shopping and prescription collection, information and advice, respite dementia day care, exceptional case referrals, digital inclusion and welfare calls all to those who were unable to leave their homes or with nobody to rely upon to help. It was crucial that they reinvented a way to provide services during a pandemic. As an older peoples charity it was vital that they continued to offer assistance to our older generation and improve what has been an extremely difficult and in so many cases an exceptionally lonely time.
They have recently recruited an apprentice with learningSkills, which Age UK Gateshead feel like said apprentice has benefitted their company immensely. We asked Sharon Dryden why they initially decided to hire an apprentice.
“We are keen to work with younger individuals who can be a great asset to our organisation. We feel that our client base benefit from the younger generation and vice verse. It is a great opportunity to work in the charitable sector and learning comes in many different forms”, said Sharon.
“We have an employee who has completed the apprenticeship scheme who is now working full time within the organisation, so the apprenticeship scheme is tried and tested within our organisation”.
Our new apprentices have already had a positive impact on the organisation and it is felt that the younger individuals play an important role being in some respects a different generation.”
Do you feel like your company could benefit from an apprentice?
Contact us via our social media pages, our website live chat, or email apprenticeships@gateshead.gov.uk
https://www.facebook.com/gatesheadcouncillearningskills
Young People (14-24) | My Learning Skills
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