Mark enjoys a career change (From Gazette Series)

Mark enjoys a career change

A FORMER Royal Navy mechanic who served in Iraq during the recent war is back on dry land and training in Wotton-under-Edge for a new career thanks to the Modern Apprenticeships programme.

Mark Gwinnell was an operator mechanic on the mine hunter HMS Sandown which cleared the way for humanitarian supplies to be delivered to the Iraqi port city of Umm Quasar.

The vessel was the first British warship to dock in Iraq during the controversial military operation to topple Saddam Hussein's regime.

But last year the 22-year-old from Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, decided on a career change and left the Navy. In October he enrolled on the Modern Apprenticeship programme which allows 16-to-24 year-olds to work towards a national vocational qualification, while earning a salary and gaining hands-on training. It is promoted in the West of England by Business West and the Learning and Skills Council.

Now Mark is gaining valuable work experience with the SITA Environmental Trust in Wotton and studying part time for an NVQ level three in business administration with the Brunel Training Group.

The 10-strong SITA Environmental Trust team provides funding for community and environmental improvement projects through the Government's Landfill Tax Credit Scheme. It is one of the first organisations of its kind in the UK to achieve both the Investors in People Standard and ISO 9001.

Office manager Pat Harley said: "We are a very small organisation so Mark has been able to work in every department, from project administration to finance, which has given him broad experience of how an organisation is run.

Wherever he goes, and whatever he does in the future, this experience will be invaluable and he has been a real help to us. Other companies and organisations can also benefit from the Modern Apprenticeship scheme."

Mark said: "I have had the chance to work with different people within the Trust so I am getting a lot of experience in different areas. My goal is to get into management so working with the Trust has been an important first step."

Stuart Veitch-Edwards, Modern Apprenticeships adviser at Business West - which together with the Learning and Skills Council is helping employers to realise the business benefits of this scheme, said: "Modern Apprenticeships are a highly effective way of delivering work-based learning. Companies that take part in the programme enjoy a number of substantial benefits from their involvement, including increased productivity, staff efficiency and improved motivation and commitment.

"It is also gives young people the chance to gain valuable work experience and work towards a qualification that employers recognise."

Find out more by calling the Modern Apprenticeship team at Business West on 0117 973 7373 or email mateam@businesswest.co.uk