Apprenticeship Case Study: Daniel Summerill

When we leave school, often, there is so much pressure to do well and make the right choices. Family, peer pressure and fear of the unknown! For Daniel Summerill, college was the first option due to following friends, but actually this decision was not the right one for him. Daniel is now working towards his Level 2 Apprenticeship in Business Administration at the YMCA with PM Training. 

Apprentice Daniel Summerill, from Norton, is making his mark and reaching for his career goals.

Daniel states: "I am really happy with the progress I am making here at the YMCA, I have had multiple people from different departments give me compliments for my work ethic, reliability, and good communication skills within the business. In my rotation of my apprenticeship, every Line Manager I have had in each department has also given me great feedback. It has been so nice to receive kind words from Directors, Managers, Supervisors even the Chief Executive! To my surprise, I also had external customers personally send emails to my colleagues on how well I performed with the service they received." 

He continues: "I was nominated by staff members for the Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, Apprentice Of The Year Award which was great. Unfortunately I didn't win, but it was great to take part!". 

Deciding what path you want to follow at the tender age of 16 is one of the hardest decisions young people have to make. 

Daniel said: "College wasn't for me, I felt pressured into going as all my friends were, I studied Games Design. I felt I just wasn't getting the right experience and wanted to earn money whilst earning a qualification so I decided to drop out and go with PM Training."

Daniel joined the business admin programme, Officeworks, and began learning new skills in the office environment including IT and customer service. 

"6 weeks after joining PM Training I started my apprenticeship with the YMCA"

Daniel continues: "I really wish I had made this decision in the first place as I really enjoy it, I'm getting the support I need from the staff both here at the YMCA and also at PM Training. The role I have here is quite varied and revolves a lot around Conference and Hospitality. There are 4 different departments I work in including: Sports, Reception, Customer Service and Hospitality."

The YMCA offers a service to young people. Their slogan is 'We develop young people, you develop their world'. The aim of the YMCA is that it provides health and well being assistance to young people, offering the chance for them to socialise and stay in a safe environment. 

Commercial Manager, Linda Freeman says: "The opportunities we have for these young people are fantastic. We get young people from a variety of different backgrounds. Not long ago we had a trip to Berlin and the young people had to write why they wanted to go, which was great to see them writing their thoughts and experiences down. It's a chance for them to open up and boosts their confidence." 

Daniel further states:" Being here has been great for me, I really enjoy it and I would love to carry on my career here at the YMCA. I would recommend PM Training to anyone."

It's important as a young person, understanding your options. At PM Training we always recommend keeping your options open and to follow a career path that suits your learning style. For Daniel, he trusted his instincts after realising he made a decision that wasn't in his best interests. He followed his passion for working whilst gaining his qualifications. Perks include a regular income and getting his foot in the door with an employer early on, see more reasons why we are the place to go for apprenticeships.