WHEN it comes to providing apprenticeships a firm based in a village near Devizes is galloping ahead.

Educ8Training England in West Lavington is celebrating its first year of delivering apprenticeships and among its success stories is Katie Shepherd who is taking a level two equine groom apprenticeship with international event rider Coral Keen who is based at Little Cheverell near Devizes.

She said: " “I knew I would be better suited to learning ‘on the job’ rather than in a classroom, so when I saw that Coral had a vacancy for an apprenticeship with Educ8, I knew I had to apply—the chance to gain a qualification doing something I loved was too good an opportunity to miss."

A spokesman for the company said: "Educ8 is building a strong reputation for matching quality candidates to roles and already has over 25 employers committed to using them for delivery of apprenticeships nationwide in the occupational routes of retail and hospitality, health and social care, education and training, equine and animal care as well as business skills.

"As well as these more traditional apprenticeships, Educ8 is delivering a number of modern programmes across different sectors, including an apprenticeship for school business managers as well as those looking for a career in call centre management.

"In the last year, Educ8 has established a team of trainers and coaches, to support learners throughout their apprenticeships, who all have qualifications and backgrounds in the relevant training provider industries; that means they have a wealth of direct experience within the industries into which they are placing candidates."

Jude Holloway, chief operations officer, said: “I’m thrilled with the team we’ve created at Educ8 England. With their combined experience, we are in a great position to be delivering flexible apprenticeships that work for both the employer and the apprentice.”

Educ8 prides itself on not only supporting the needs of the apprentice, but also of the employer. Ms Holloway said: “What sets us apart from other apprentice training providers, we believe, is the quality of our vacancy matching. We are completely committed to ensuring that all parties involved have a positive experience from an apprenticeship programme.

"By taking the time to carefully, and correctly, match apprentices to employers we can ensure that successful programmes are delivered and employers will take on future apprentices—which has to be great for any industry”

Educ8 England’s first anniversary falls just after the Government’s National Apprenticeship Week aimed at highlighting the changes in apprenticeships as well as their benefits for both individuals and businesses.