NEWS
Optimum Skills senior sales manager Charley Haigh( left) and Bev Wade( right) of Cogent Skills, with Lauren Armstrong, who has recently qualified from an apprenticeship level 3 in business admin. PICTURE: CHRIS BOOTH
UNLOCKING
BY DAVE ROBSON
POTENTIAL
Partnerships and apprenticeships prove a winning combination for Optimum Skills
They’ re passionate about partnerships and upskilling people – and a recent success story is just one example of how Optimum Skills does it.
Based in Parsons Court off Welbury Way, leading training and apprenticeship provider Optimum Skills is always looking to build partnerships with business park occupants for everyone’ s benefit.
It’ s keen to strengthen collaboration – working together to train the next generation of talent and support upskilling through apprenticeships.
And for evidence of how it can work, look no further than Lauren Armstrong.
Employed by Cogent Skills, a provider of specialist safety training to high-hazard industries, Lauren, 23, recently completed her Level 3 business administration apprenticeship.
But her journey throughout has also been supported by Optimum Skills – showcasing what can be achieved when businesses and training providers come together to invest in people.
And Optimum Skills senior sales manager Charley Haigh believes Lauren’ s apprenticeship success is just the beginning – and Optimum is urging more businesses on the park to be part of the movement.
She said:“ At Optimum Skills, we’ re committed to building strong partnerships across the park to create shared opportunities.
“ By bringing together employers, us as a training provider and apprentices, it helps drive growth, innovation and community success.”
It’ s a sentiment echoed by Cogent Skills, which believes Lauren’ s story is a great example of the power of apprenticeships – and why collaboration is so important when it comes to investing in future talent.
Alex Slater, head of business operations at Cogent Skills, told Aycliffe Business:“ We believe apprenticeships are more than just a route into employment – they’ re a vital part of building a skilled, confident and future-ready workforce.
“ Lauren’ s a great example of this. Throughout her time with us, she has made a real impact, particularly in supporting our essential safety training courses delivered around the world.
“ From preparing course materials to coordinating logistics, her work ensures that our training programmes run smoothly and professionally.
“ And her development has been expertly supported by Beverley Wade, whose line management and mentorship have helped Lauren grow in confidence and capability.
“ Beverley’ s dedication is a brilliant example of how apprenticeships thrive when supported by experienced and passionate colleagues.
“ We’ re grateful for the support of Optimum Skills, whose structured training and guidance have played a key role in Lauren’ s progress.
“ Their partnership has helped ensure that her apprenticeship experience is not only educational but also deeply relevant to the needs of our business and the wider industry.
“ Apprenticeships aren’ t just about gaining qualifications – they’ re about contributing, learning, and becoming part of something bigger.
“ We’ re proud to champion them, and even prouder of the people who make them a success.”
But what does Lauren think of her progress so far?
She said:“ I feel that the apprenticeship has been valuable for my career – it’ s given me a lot of knowledge of the business and how other businesses run.
“ It has built my confidence through practical experience and taught me how to take responsibility and ownership of my role.
“ The support I have had from Cogent Skills and Optimum Skills has been exceptional and the qualification has opened up opportunities for career progression.
“ Optimum Skills have done a great job of supporting me in learning and progressing my skills to succeed in my career.
“ The tutors have been helpful in sharing their knowledge and encouraging me to do presentations, which has also boosted my confidence.”
Optimum Skills is always keen to hear from park businesses interested in:
• Hiring an apprentice.
• Upskilling your current team.
• Partnering to share knowledge.
Charley added:“ Let’ s build a stronger, skilled workforce together – right here in our business community.
“ Get in touch to find out how you can get involved.”
Visit optimumskills. co. uk
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 7