Jimena Gilbert, a full-time Learning Support Apprentice (LSA) at Aldridge Adult Learning who started with us in September 2021, and is part of a growing apprenticeship programme at AAL. Jimena says “3 years ago I was a functional skills English and maths learner here at AAL, I then Progressed to GCSE where, as a non-native speaker, I was thrilled to achieve a grade 7 in English. Following the experience here at AAL, and all the support I received, I decided I wanted to volunteer to help adults, and had asked about opportunities in AAL. I was so happy when I discovered there was an AAL apprenticeship where I could get paid to develop my skills, retrain and actually forge a career as an LSA!

Nick Fenn, AAL Principal, said “Jimena is a real asset and she is helping our learners achieve on a range of courses, we love having her with us and we are blown away by her positive energy and can-do attitude.

Donna Keenan, Partnerships and Business Development Manager at AAL, who leads on apprenticeships, said “Jimena is a case study in what we are trying to achieve here at AAL by supporting local people into sustainable work. We already have 16 apprentices in various Aldridge and other schools and 7 more positions we are recruiting to right now. We are delighted to see this growth and momentum as our LSA apprenticeships programme goes from strength to strength. The positive impact of our programme was underlined by PACA principal, Mark Poston, who has taken on 5 LSA apprentices with us and is eager for more. Mark said “The LSA apprentices are working well and are adding value well to the school”