This week marks the 19th annual National Apprenticeship Week, a week-long celebration that brings together businesses and apprentices across the country.
The theme for this year’s National Apprenticeship Week is ‘Skills for life’, encouraging everyone to celebrate how apprenticeships and skills help us all reach our full potential. HM Government (2026) states that apprenticeships “break down barriers to opportunity and drive economic growth by developing the skills employers need.
Apprenticeships aren’t just a fantastic way to start a career, but a great opportunity for businesses to invest in employees’ personal and professional skills.
Playdale have always been a great advocate for apprentices since we hired our first apprentices in 2016.
We are proud to celebrate the exceptional #TEAM we have at Playdale and what they have accomplished in the past year.
Within our fabrication and welding team, we currently have seven apprentices. Billy West, Elliot York, Ethan O’Reilly, Jake Chapman, Lewis Young, Ollie Coward and Ellis Young, who are based at our Fabrication facility in Ulverston. They are working alongside experienced Playdale staff, gaining invaluable job-specific skills. They are currently completing their apprenticeship in Fabrication, which, once completed, they can immediately use for the benefit of themselves, Playdale Playgrounds, and the economy.
In the past year, we have introduced a new office-based apprenticeship. Jasmine Palmer Armstrong, our Business Administrator Apprentice, works alongside our experienced marketing team, learning the relevant skills to become a Marketing Coordinator upon completion. She is currently working on her End Point Assessment, with her final exam during National Apprenticeship Week. How fitting?
Nicola Johnson, our Procurement Lead, has completed her Level 4 NVQ through the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply. Now that she has successfully graduated as a procurement professional, Nicola can apply her learned skills to her day-to-day role.
Bobby Acraman, our Production Operative, has been developing his production skills with a Level 2 Lean Manufacturing course. This course has not only developed Bobby’s knowledge of manufacturing but has also equipped him with the skills required to reduce waste, improve product quality and work more efficiently.
Finally, we have our Level 3 & 5 graduates who have completed their qualifications in Management and Leadership.
Our Level 3 graduates were Hannah Hutton, our Marketing Coordinator, Gary Strong, our Fabrication Team Leader, and Lisa O’Sullivan, our Office Sales Team Leader. Over the 18 months of their course, they learnt how to use different business development tools, communication processes, and much more!
Karla Thomas, our Marketing Manager, Matthew Luxton, our 3D Design Team Leader, and Matthew Harby, our Playground Design Manager, have all completed their Level 5 Business and Leadership Management course.
Matthew Harby has gained lots of confidence in his abilities after completing the course. He learnt lots about finances and how to manage people, leading to him being promoted to Playground Design Manager.
We are extremely proud of what these individuals have accomplished and how they will be implementing their skills and knowledge in the workplace. The success of our apprenticeships has allowed us to diversify the roles across the business and develop individuals further in their careers.
