The Fifth Trust is using National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), which runs from 7-13 February, to highlight the value of giving learning disabled people the opportunity to develop career skills.

We are delighted to have our first apprentice recruited from our ranks of students. Charly Winfield, 24, is undertaking a customer care course which sees her spending three days a week gaining hands-on experience in the Vineyard café, and one day doing coursework with support from instructor Tom German.

Her two-year apprenticeship, which is being delivered by training provider Ixion, is paid and will lead to a nationally recognised qualification.

Charly started coming to The Fifth Trust in 2020. She soon developed a keen interest in working in the café, one of the social enterprises which raise much-needed funds for our services.

“I’m enjoying everything about the apprenticeship, it’s a lot of fun,” said Charly, who started the course in September 2021. “The coursework is all right, if I’m struggling a bit Tom is there to encourage me.

“My autism is definitely an extra challenge. I find it hard to talk to new people and when I first went in the café I thought I couldn’t do it but I am getting better. There’s still things I need to learn, like not coming across as bossy when I don’t mean to!

“When I finish the apprenticeship my hope is that I can become a member of staff in the café.”

The Fifth Trust CEO Nikki Marley said: “We are so proud of Charly for taking up this challenge.

“It has long been an aspiration of mine to offer apprenticeships to our students as I strongly believe that if you only look past the learning disability there is an individual with the same right to the opportunities most of us take for granted.

“I have no doubt that Charly will be an inspiration to others, and we will use her experience to look at developing an ongoing apprenticeship programme.”