Aster Group celebrates National Apprenticeship Week 2024

For National Apprenticeship Week 2024, local housing Aster Group which has nearly 8,000 homes in Wiltshire is celebrating and recognising the opportunity apprenticeships and the Apprenticeship Levy have across its business. From creating roles for new recruits, enabling colleagues to change career direction and funding a range of qualifications, the impact of apprenticeships and the Levy is hailed as a huge success across the Group.

Since the Levy’s introduction in 2017, Aster has already supported over 300 colleagues either by employing new apprentices into the business or upskilling its current team via the Levy funding.

Commenting on the impact apprenticeships and the Levy have across Aster, Jess Scull, Apprenticeship Partner said: “Having been privileged to support our apprenticeship schemes for a number of years, we now have leaders and future leaders who either joined us or developed their skills and qualifications through our apprenticeship schemes. This demonstrates this investment provides career opportunities and can help tackle the skills gaps across the housing sector.”

Aster’s 2023 cohort of apprentices includes Devizes-based Georgia Walker and Trowbridge-based Holly Peacock who both started their careers with the Group in the company’s contact centre. A complete shift in career direction sees Georgia now training as an apprentice gas engineer and Holly is on a surveying apprentice career path. Commenting on her decision to retrain Georgia said: “I knew for a while that I didn't want an office job. I wanted to be out there doing something different and a role that was more customer-facing. I came across a gas apprenticeship vacancy a year prior and registered my interest but decided not to go through with it at the time. A year of regret and wishing I had done it previously, I saw the vacancy pop up again so decided that I would go for it, and I am so glad that I did!”

 Aster will be opening recruitment for its 2024 apprentice cohort in the spring. You can find out more about Aster’s apprenticeship programme and see apprenticeship vacancies advertised at: https://www.aster.co.uk/careers/apprenticeships.