Leo Thomas has recently completed a Level 2 Apprenticeship in Customer Service at Three River District Council. Having already worked in local government for over 3 years; Leo saw the chance to undertake the qualification as a great opportunity in helping him develop existing skills and knowledge.
Leo Thomas has recently completed a Level 2 Apprenticeship in Customer Service at Three River District Council. Having already worked in local government for over 3 years; Leo saw the chance to undertake the qualification as a great opportunity in helping him develop existing skills and knowledge.
I felt very happy, I got to work in a new team, build my communication skills, contributed towards promoting apprentices in local government and won a lovely gift card!”
Leo Thomas, Three River District Council
Following the completion of his apprenticeship, Leo is passionate about progressing his career and hopes to one day take up a corporate management role. As such, when the prospect of participating in the Local Government Apprentice of the Year arose, Leo recognised that it was event with brilliant opportunities to develop existing skills in communication and collaboration as well as network with other apprentices - all skills needed for his role now as well as in the future.
On the first day of the event, the apprentices are set a series of challenges which involves them working together. As such, Leo’s communication and collaborative skills were certainly put to the test, as he was required to work in a team with other apprentices who he had never met before. This meant that Leo had to not only show confidence when sharing his own thoughts and opinions but also navigate how to deal with situations where there are different learning styles, varying views and differing levels of engagement.
On the second day of the event, the apprentices get to attend an Awards Ceremony with prizes for the winner, runner up, winning team and social media winner up for grabs. According to Leo, this part of the event was a wonderful opportunity to hear from some amazing speakers, receive feedback and to also hear about the positive work being achieved by local government apprentices.
For Leo, it was even more special as he was also crowned as one of this year’s runners up!
Since the event, Leo has reflected on how much he has taken away from attending the event, including gaining new skills in collaborative working. When asked if he would recommend the event to apprentices thinking of applying, he said,
Yes, it is a great chance to network, develop new skills, build confidence and maybe win a prize!”
Leo Thomas, Three River District Council.