My Story - Michael

 Written by Apprentice Community Safety Advisor Michael Dunn

My name is Michael and I have recently started an apprenticeship as a Community Safety Advisor with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. I have been stationed at Manchester Central Fire Station, which is an amazing borough and located next to the fire service’s training centre therefore I’m in a very good location to work.

Before this apprenticeship I completed the Prince’s Trust programme with Manchester team 27. It was an incredible experience and it helped me in so many ways. The course opened me up to a variety of opportunities and enabled me to take part in life changing experiences acquiring many qualifications and memories along the way.

My first involvement with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service started a few years back when I completed a week’s work experience with the admin team. I have always been interested in the fire service but never thought of it as a career choice until I saw an advertisement for the Prince’s Trust and I thought it could be a foot in the door to the Service.

Throughout my time with GMFRS I have benefited from all the support that I have been given from so many different people, even those that don’t know me. To me GMFRS feels like a giant family which I am now part of – everyone looks after each other, takes care of each other and are very welcoming. My aspirations within the organisation are to one day be a Firefighter.

However, for now I shall keep working hard, standing tall and being proud that I am part of GMFRS and I’m lucky enough to wear the crest upon my chest.

Rochdale Skills Event

Written by Apprentice Business Safety Advisor Laura Broughton

In March, one of our Business Safety Advisor Apprentices – Dominic Traynor – attended Rockdale’s Skills event along with local businesses to give Year 9 students the opportunity to explore different jobs and training options. Throughout the day, Dominic and other members on the team promoted our Community Fire Cadet Schemes, Volunteering opportunities and different pathways available to become part of GMFRS.

On speaking about the day, Dominic said: “As an apprentice with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, I am keen to speak to other young people.

“The Rochdale Skills event was an excellent opportunity to speak about my experiences so far and promote the Service’s apprenticeship scheme.

“I received positive feedback from those I spoke to, with many saying that they would consider becoming a member of the fire service through the various schemes that we have to offer.

“I believe that the event was a success and hope that we have spoken to futures members of GMFRS.”

My Story - Laura

Written by Apprentice Business Safety Advisor Laura Broughton

My name is Laura and I have been involved with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service for the past five years.

My journey began when I was 13-years-old. As a student at Wentworth High School, I attended an assembly where firefighters invited me to join the cadets at Eccles fire station.

  

Excitedly, I attended and over the following years I achieved a BETEC qualification in Fire and Rescue Services in the Community which is a nationally recognised qualification.

                                      

From there I have grown in confidence and in March of 2013 I became a volunteer and a cadet instructor at the unit where I first became a cadet.  Whilst working as a volunteer, I worked with the Chief Fire Officers Association as a Peer Leader. I enjoyed teaching emergency service cadets to a year six group in a school in Cheetham Hill.

In this time I had been through college but felt that university was not for me. I had heard of the apprenticeships last year and I was eager to apply. After consideration, whilst wanting to finish my A levels and awaiting a heart operation, I decided the best option was to apply the next year instead and I am so glad that I did.

Since joining the fire service at 13, I did not believe that I would be in the position I am today, although I’ve known since joining cadets I wanted to be employed by GMFRS.  I appreciate and cannot give thanks enough to all the people that have helped me achieve where I am today and for putting up with me in my early teenage years as a cadet.  It can’t have been easy.

If you are aged 13 ½ to 15 and want to find out more about joining your local community fire cadets group please visit,

http://www.manchesterfire.gov.uk/community_work/fire_cadets.aspx

Fifty in Five Day

Written by Business Fire Safety Apprentice, Laura Broughton

On the March 7 the apprentices attended The Manchester College. However, rather than the usual Friday of classroom learning, we turned up smart, in uniform for a slightly different afternoon.

The Manchester College has been involved in creating the Fifty in Five Scheme for national apprenticeship week. The idea behind it was to take on fifty apprentices in five days. The Manchester College were able to achieve this and we were invited down on the fifth day for a little cake and a celebration.  We brought down a fire engine and our driving simulator to educate the students about road safety in line with our Community Safety messages.

We also had the pleasure of meeting Jack Webster who is Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Services newest apprentice.  Jack was the fiftieth apprentice to sign up to the Fifty in Five Scheme and he is now working with our Incident Command IT team. 

To find out more about Manchester’s 50 in 5 scheme visit

http://www.themanchestercollege.ac.uk/news/success-manchester-college-hits-50-5-target

Introducing Our New Apprentices

Written by Apprentice Business Safety Advisor Laura Broughton

My name is Laura, I am one of the six new Business Safety Advisors and I work with the Protection team at Bolton Fire Station. Eleven other apprentices and I will be sharing our stories with you throughout the next twelve months. This year we have six more Community Safety Advisor Apprentices alongside a newly created position which like me are Business Safety Advisor Apprentices.

  Our journey started in February, where we all very nervously turned up to our training centre in Manchester. We were given basic training about the fire service for the following few weeks and handed our very own fire service uniform accompanied by some very shiny shoes. One thing that will stick in my mind is something one of the apprentices said on the second day. One of our Business Safety Advisors voiced his excitement exclaiming,

“I’m extremely proud to be able to part of the organisation and even more so to wear this badge on my chest.”

From then we have all settled into our positions on our own stations. All the apprentices attend The Manchester College on a Friday to complete our Level 2 qualification. Although we are off station everyone gets really excited to hear what each other has been up to and it is a great opportunity to catch up with everyone.

Out with the old, in with the new!!

Written by Community Safety Advisor - Chris Toon 

With just over a year gone since we started this blog for the Fire Service apprentices, our story has changed dramatically.

Many of the individuals you have read about previously came from different backgrounds, had different experiences and different goals for themselves. The one thing we all had in common was a passion for the job with GMFRS and the willingness to get out and spread the safety messages we were taught to deliver.

All of the apprentices you have read about have now either gained full time employment within the organisation or moved on to other great opportunities.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service led the way for other Fire and Rescue services to follow by providing a chance for 12 young people to join this organisation and to learn the prospective roles they wanted to gain employment in.

Throughout our time here, we have not only done this across all boroughs in Greater Manchester, we have also gained a level 2 NVQ qualification along the way.

GMFRS have now worked with Skills for Justice to produce a nationally recognised qualification for the next lot of apprentices who have just started with us within the last month.

We will now not only have our Apprentice Community Safety Advisors, we will also have Business Safety Advisors assisting our Protection teams to keep the public safer outside of their homes in the public domain as well.

One of our new apprentices will shortly be taking over the blog in order to keep you all updated regularly with the latest stories and experiences as they start their GMFRS journey.