DRPG creative communications group, one of the organisations to provide input into the national Event Management Apprenticeship Programme, has seen its first two apprentices qualify.
First launched in 2016, DRPG have taken on two event assistant apprentices, Sarah Davitt and Sascha Lewis. They have now qualified and are the first two apprentices to complete this qualification in the whole of the UK.
The scheme currently has 48 event assistant apprentices enrolled. Overall in 2017/18, there were 814,800 people participating in an apprenticeship in England, with 375,800 (46%) apprenticeship starts and 276,200 (34%) apprenticeship achievements. An apprenticeship scheme delivers lots of practical, real life, on-the-job training and experiences. Davitt and Lewis now take on full time roles within the group, Davitt becoming an account executive, and Lewis a project coordinator.
Reflecting on their qualifications and achievements, Lewis said: “It feels amazing to have completed my apprenticeship. It hasn’t been easy, but all of my hard work has paid off and I can’t wait to start building my career within DRPG. The best thing about the apprenticeship was learning whilst on the job, and now I’ve got a qualification at the end of it.”
Davitt added: “I am so happy to have finished my apprenticeship! Being able to study and gain experience in the event industry was exactly what I wanted. I feel like I have really started my career which not a lot of 20 year olds can say.”
Dale Parmenter, CEO of DRPG praised both for completing the apprenticeship, saying: “It is a great achievement to see Sarah and Sascha qualify, and to be the first two in the industry to do this is a fantastic milestone for them personally but also for the events industry as well. I’m looking forward to seeing them flourish within their new roles and supporting to deliver for our various clients. As always, I look forward to onboarding more apprentices whilst seeing our other cohorts develop and grow to with our business.”
