Hear from our CITB Apprenticeships team

First, let us tell you a little about what this team does...

Our Apprenticeships department works with various clients, one being The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). In this team, we deal with the ‘lifecycle’ of learners, in both England and Scotland, that are at college doing a Construction apprenticeship with CITB. This could be anything from Roofing to Plant Mechanics, ultimately leading to them working on homes, school, roads or railways.

The work we do within the department is back-of-house processing on various platforms, inputting the evidence and information into the systems. This could be loading details for new apprentices, maintaining and updating information held on a database or manually, processing qualification achievements, and processing the certificate that confirms the completion of the apprenticeship.

Ensuring the timely and accurate processing of apprenticeship documentation is a rewarding way to support people on their first steps into the world of Construction.

Caitlin and Alex share their experiences of working in the team...

Head and shoulders shot of Caitlin from SSCL

What’s your role at SSCL?
I'm a Senior Delivery Lead for our CITB Apprenticeships.

How long have you been at SSCL and what made you join?
I have been here since November 2019. I was looking for a job that would give me a challenge and when looking at SSCL, there were so many positive reviews regarding the company culture. The values of the company really caught my eye along with the dedication to continuous improvement.
SSCL is a forward-thinking organisation that is continuously looking into the future, not only from a service point but also with how to better the company as a whole.

What were you doing before joining SSCL?
Before joining SSCL, I was a department manager in retail. However, moving into SSCL I was able to see all the possibilities for progression, learning and personal development.

What kind of projects are you working on?
I have worked on various projects within my department which have been implemented and have seen positive results. One thing I have learnt from being in SSCL is that everyone can vocalise their ideas and spend time developing these to continue moving the company forward.

What do you think makes SSCL different from other companies in the industry?
SSCL recognises their employees through all different means of reward and recognition, and people are seen equally. I have not worked for a company that offers as many programmes, learning benefits, or events as SSCL does. It shows that time is taken to consider all employees and that everyone has the same opportunities.

What kind of progression and career development opportunities have you had?
I have had amazing opportunities to progress my career. I started in 2019 as an Apprenticeship Coordinator and from there moved to a Team Leader role in 2020. Since January 2023, I have progressed again into Senior Delivery Lead for Apprenticeships.
As part of my progression, I have been involved in Ignite, our leadership development programme, and I’m currently completing the Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt course, which is an amazing opportunity to delve into continuous improvement.

SSCL is recognised as a Great Place to Work®, what do you personally think makes it so great?
The company works with their employees to ensure it is a great place to work and uses the feedback given to implement changes. Over the past year, I have seen many great things come from being involved in the Great Place to Work scheme, and we consistently keep improving. What I recognise the most is that this isn’t just produced by the Executive team, but all employees are considered to contribute to the success.

Head and shoulders shot of Alex from SSCL

What’s your role at SSCL?
I'm currently the Team Leader for the England Apprenticeships team, supporting our client, CITB.

How long have you been at SSCL and what made you join?
I joined SSCL at the start of 2020 as a temp, having moved to York the month previous. At the time, I was looking for roles which could develop my administrative skills and had good development opportunities. I got a good feeling from the team leaders who interviewed me and was excited to be offered the position.

What were you doing before joining SSCL?
Prior to joining SSCL, I was at university and so SSCL has been the first step in my career.

What kind of projects are you working on?
My role doesn't generally involve a great deal of project work - I have quite a lot of involvement in Continuous Improvement within the department and this sometimes leads to larger projects to provide efficiency or quality improvements.

What do you think makes SSCL different from other companies in the industry?
I have found everyone at SSCL very welcoming and the sense of community within the company is fantastic. There are lots of opportunities to develop within the company with various internal opportunities coming up weekly. I have had the opportunity to network with both clients and senior executives within SSCL, which has given me great experience.

What kind of progression and career development opportunities have you had?
I was promoted to Team Leader after just over one year working at the company. Since then, I have been on a management training course, continuous improvement course and attended various networking events, which have contributed significantly to my development. I think the company offers fantastic opportunities for development to all who show an interest.

SSCL is recognised as a Great Place to Work®, what do you personally think makes it so great?
For me, it is the people that make SSCL a great place to work. When joining the company, I was made to feel extremely welcome from day one and there is a real sense of community within my department and the company as a whole. I have had the opportunity to meet people from all over the business in my three years here and this sense of community shines through in everyone I have met.