Emma Ballantyne is currently in the third year of her Modern Apprenticeship with South Lanarkshire College and she’s absolutely loving it!
Emma decided to make the life changing step to leave her franchise management role in retail to embark on her new career in 2017. Emma said:
“I’ve always been a creative person and was feeling really unhappy in the retail role I had been undertaking for a number of years. I decided it was now or never, and after some helpful advice from the South Lanarkshire College team, on courses that would develop my creativity, I applied for the City & Guilds Painting and Decorating course. During the year long course, my confidence in my painting and decorating skills was increasing, and I was really enjoying doing this practical type of work. My family and friends had started to ask me to carry out small decorating jobs for them and I realised that if I wanted to develop my skills even further, getting an apprenticeship was the best way to do that. This led me to apply for the apprenticeship position advertised in the College”
I’m now one year away from course completion and thanks to my apprenticeship, I’ve gained further confidence in my trade skills and feel really satisfied when I finish a project and can see the results.
Emma believes there are a number of benefits to a Modern Apprenticeship, Emma states: “it’s great having an employer to support you and you get real work experience which helps with your personal development. You also earn a wage which means you get paid while you learn. I enjoy my work and I enjoy developing my skills on a daily basis.
For anyone thinking on applying for a Modern Apprenticeship, Emma says “Go for it!”, she thinks learning a trade “is a great idea because you will always be able to use it and at the end of the course, you can continue to work for a company or even branch out and start your own business!”