54North apprenticeship helps Fabian get a good grounding in housing

Last year we were excited to appoint our first 54North Homes apprentice. Fabian Newton-Edgar, who lives in North Leeds, joined us as a Housing Apprentice in October and has been getting a wealth of experience across the organisation.

We spoke to Fabian to find out why the apprenticeship role appealed to him and how it’s helping him get his career off to a flying start.

“I’ve always been passionate about social issues, and I thought this role would be an interesting way to get hands on experience with those issues, especially speaking to customers directly. I felt I could make a positive difference.

“I’d never worked in housing before now. The apprenticeship looked like it would give me a good grounding in housing. I’ve been able to work with the complaints, income and customer services teams. I’ve even shadowed surveyors, so I’ve been given a chance to see all aspects of the organisation in quite a short space of time.

“I started in October last year. The onboarding was really helpful and my line managers, Liam and Amelia, have been very supportive.”

Customer Experience Officer Liam Sullivan took on the role as one of the Fabian’s line managers:

“This is the first time we’ve taken on an apprentice, so it’s a bit of a learning curve for the business and for me personally. It’s a commitment to develop talent, support local employment and the communities that we serve and to nurture professionals.

“We weren’t looking for someone with direct experience because this is an apprenticeship role. We were looking for someone with relevant, transferable skills and the right mindset and mentality for working with the public and wanting to help them.

“Fabian’s done really well. Everyone has been really impressed with his attitude and work ethics. He’s progressed really well. The first months were about shadowing and getting to know the team. Now he’s been able to get more involved in dealing with customer queries and the day to day work.

“Fabian has also been able to benefit from getting dedicated time away to do his apprenticeship course and study which is important to get the most out of the role.”

Fabian agrees with how useful the training and the varied on the job learning have been:

“The training provider, Kingdom Academy have been good. The assignments help me to focus on areas of housing that are important, such as the professional standards expected.

“Every day is different, I’m able to shadow different departments, speak to different customers and deal with different enquiries. It’s constantly shifting giving me new challenges which offer the chance to find new solutions.

“The whole apprenticeship lasts two years and it’s really exciting to be part of something continually growing and expanding with lots of opportunities. It’s shown me there are lots of different career paths here and in similar organisations which is great.

“I’d definitely recommend the apprenticeship programme to other people looking to develop a new career. It’s a great opportunity for upskilling.”

Our apprenticeship programme offers you the chance to get hands on experience, a competitive salary, generous benefits and qualifications while you work.

To find out more about our apprenticeship programme, visit our careers page.