Sewtec Apprentice Receives Level 3 HR Certificate from Managing Director

This week is National Apprenticeship Week, an annual celebration of apprentices in England & Wales and what a great way to celebrate the event by sharing a recent employee apprentice success story.

Joanne Carrington started with Sewtec in 2013 in an administrative position, working part time whilst raising her family. Jo was extremely good at her role, showing a real positive attitude no matter how menial the task given. It was recognised by the business that she had much more to offer, and was asked if she was interested in supporting HR. This change enabled Jo to develop her skills and become more actively involved in supporting the Sewtec apprenticeship journey. This involvement gave Jo a greater understanding of how apprenticeships worked and also the wide ranging opportunities on offer. After several discussions with Jo, we felt that she should consider an HR apprenticeship with Wakefield College, part of Heart of Yorkshire Education Group .

Although Jo was initially lacking confidence in her own ability, she began her apprenticeship journey in January 2020. Shortly after starting her apprenticeship, we entered Covid lockdown and then later in 2020 Jo was unfortunately diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Although Jo went through some extremely difficult times none of this stopped Jo’s pursuit of her apprenticeship and we were all really pleased when she was given the all clear in June 2021. Jo continued with her apprenticeship and was awarded an overall distinction for level 3 Human Resources in December 2022.

Mark Cook, Managing Director – Jo’s hard work and dedication particularly through the difficulties she faced has been nothing short of remarkable and at Sewtec we are all extremely proud of her achievements. As a result, Jo was promoted to HR manager in January of this year.

Jo – “I was both pleased and apprehensive about starting an apprenticeship but grateful that my director and Sewtec had belief in me and saw I had the ability to pursue a career in HR. Due to Sewtec already having apprentices in different departments, I was aware of the benefits of learning through an apprenticeship and being supported throughout by all my colleagues really helped me grow in confidence. Wakefield College provided the support and resources required and Gail Turner went the extra mile for me during some difficult times. To now be HR Manager at a company like Sewtec has made it all worth while.”

Gail – “From the start of Jo’s apprenticeship journey, it was clear that she really wanted to grow in confidence and develop her HR career further. Sewtec gave Jo the opportunity to do this through the apprenticeship, supporting her every step of the way. I worked with Jo from the start and maintained regular contact with her throughout the difficult times she faced. Jo never waivered on wanting to complete her apprenticeship and worked extremely hard to ensure nothing acted as a barrier to her success. Jo had the support she needed from her management team and me to support her every step of the way, allowing her to become a great HR professional. I was over the moon when Jo achieved a distinction but equally not surprised, as it is a true reflection of the hard work and dedication she gave to the apprenticeship. I am very proud and privileged to have worked with Jo and support her in her HR apprenticeship journey.”

At Sewtec we continue to see apprentices as long-term investments. Our goal is to help nurture the next generation of talent whilst growing our workforce to meet our strategic objectives and we have already begun the journey to recruit our next cohort of apprentices. If you are interested in finding out more about a career at Sewtec check out the Sewtec careers page

AIR Wakefield

AIR Wakefield, formerly Sewtec.

View profile