Case Studies

For many, health and safety is a second career, but you chose it as your first having joined Compliance Education as a SHE Apprentice at 16. What attracted you to this opportunity?

I suppose I was lucky as I have understood the profession and what it offers from a very early age because I have family who work in health and safety. Over the years I have seen the rewarding careers they have enjoyed and the impact they have been able to have through their work. This insight also means I know that many of the misconceptions that could put others off pursuing a career in health and safety are just that!

When I was exploring my options, I was encouraged to consider health and safety because of the vast and diverse career opportunities it offers. The more I investigated the apprenticeships on offer, alongside the opportunity presented to me by Compliance Education, the more it became a simple decision for me.

Can you tell us a little bit about Compliance Education and the services it provides?

Compliance Education provide health and safety services to the education sector and currently supports approximately 600 schools, colleges, nurseries and pupil referral units. By providing real hands-on support in areas like policy and procedure development and maintenance, general and fire risk assessments, incident investigation, safety training and by being a source of competent advice, we help ensure that our customers can focus on delivering quality education to their pupils.

What programme of learning has been put in place as part of your apprenticeship?

I signed up for a Level 3 Safety, Health and Environment Technician Apprenticeship and found its structure really suited me. Each week I would spend four days learning on the job with the final day devoted to completing online learning and tasks assigned to me by my learning provider Compass Skills Training.

The on-the-job element included shadowing Compliance Education colleagues during client consultations. I learnt a great deal from these visits, both in terms of my health and safety understanding and how I should act on-site. Over time, as my confidence grew, I found I could contribute more to the discussions about risk assessments and policies and procedures.

The final day of the week was spent completing a range of online learning and tasks designed to support my development. The content of the NEBOSH Award in Environmental Awareness at Work and the NEBOSH National General Certificate qualifications were built into the apprenticeship I completed.

I understand that 2024 was a big year for you in terms of NEBOSH success as you passed the NEBOSH General Certificate, the NEBOSH Fire Certificate and the NEBOSH Award in Environmental Awareness at Work. Well done!

• How have these qualifications supported your development?

These qualifications have played an important part in my development. They have helped me build the knowledge and confidence I need to carry out my role effectively and advise my clients on various health and safety matters.

• Did you enjoy your studies?

Absolutely! I found each course interesting, and particularly enjoyed the case studies that were included to explain key points. I also enjoyed the tasks that were set as I found them to be really engaging and relevant to my work.

• Which course did you enjoy the most of the three and why?

I enjoyed them all, but my favourite was the NEBOSH Fire Certificate. At the start of my apprenticeship, I found the fire aspect of health and safety particularly interesting and enjoyed shadowing the fire risk assessors within my organisation. This qualification deepened my understanding and interest in the subject, with the content on the spread of fire and associated compartmentation being stand outs for me.

What's next for you in terms of your personal development?

As I have enjoyed the fire element of my learning and career most so far, this is the area I have chosen to focus on. I am currently in the final stages of becoming a BAFE registered Fire Risk Assessor and have already identified a Level 4 Diploma in Fire Safety as my next learning objective.

Given your experience, would you recommend a SHE Apprenticeship to others and why?

Definitely. Apprenticeships give you the opportunity to gain recognised qualifications and practical experience at the same time. I found that my work experience helped me understand the content covered in the qualifications and, at the same time, being able to apply what I was learning through my studies straightaway at work helped me retain what I was being taught. This combination of simultaneously gaining relevant experience and qualifications really worked for me and the fact I could earn whilst I learned was another bonus.

I would encourage others who are weighing up options after-school to consider an apprenticeship. When you look at what is available, they cover so many sectors from education, construction, engineering to health and safety! My advice would be to think about what industry appeals to you most and see if an apprenticeship exists that could give you a route in. I would also recommend identifying approved apprenticeship providers for your chosen industry and potential employers who could give you a placement as part of your research.

What are your long-term career aspirations?

I want to continue to develop and make the most of every opportunity that comes my way. I want to keep building my knowledge and experience because my long-term goal is to eventually gain Chartered IOSH Membership.

What do you enjoy most about working in health and safety?

Working in health and safety has given me the opportunity to meet and work with a wide variety of people. My role means I attend different educational establishments every day and because of this, no two days are the same. I love the variety that this career offers and the fact there are always new challenges to work through and resolve.

What achievement are you most proud of?

It is difficult to choose between receiving my NEBOSH General and Fire Certificates and being named Compass Skills Training’s Most Progressed Apprentice of the Year for 2024. I was only 18 when I passed all three of my NEBOSH qualifications which I believe is unusual. Receiving the Award from my learning partner was a proud moment too though so it is hard to choose.

Choosing to enter the health and safety profession at such an early age is unusual. How do you think the industry can encourage more young people to follow your lead?

I would recommend that the profession more widely promotes itself and the apprenticeship route to young people. When I was exploring my next options when I was studying my GCSEs, I could see options at sixth form and local colleges, but health and safety did not feature. When you think about it, all businesses need health and safety expertise but the promotion of it as a career option to school leavers is minimal.

There are lots of great features of the health and safety profession that add to its appeal including the variety, opportunities to works in a range of industries and the ability to have a positive impact on people and the environment. I think all that is required is for these benefits and the routes into the profession to be promoted more widely to young people