Mill Water School is Exeter College’s Employer of the Month

We spoke to Gail Evans, Business Manager at the school.

How many Apprentices do you employ, what do they do and what courses are they on?

We have five Apprentices working as Teaching Assistants. They are all following Teaching and Learning in Schools (STLS) courses at either Level 2 or Level 3. They work within our class teams, supporting children of all ages with their learning, behaviour and personal independence.

Why do you employ Apprentices in your company?

It is not always easy to recruit staff who are ready trained, with the depth of understanding of SEN that we require. Taking on Apprentices enables us to develop teaching assistants who, at the end of their course, will have a good understanding of the wide range of conditions, learning difficulties and challenges our pupils face. After working with us for one, two or maybe three years, we hope that our Apprentices will become familiar with our ethos, safe working practices, methods of assessment, how we communicate with nonverbal children and how we manage behaviour. This makes them ideal candidates for permanent positions.

How do Apprentices add value to your business? What do they bring to your team?

Apprentices bring energy, enthusiasm and a desire to learn as much as they can whilst they are with us. They are able to participate in the very practical aspects of the job, whilst being taught the theory at Exeter College. Whilst there is no guarantee that we will have vacancies, we will always consider our Apprentices for permanent positions once they have completed their courses.