A college principal and chief executive has shared her happy memories of starting her accountancy career with an apprenticeship here at HPP.
Julia Heap, who is now Principal and CEO at Hopwood Hall College and University Centre, began her journey with a Level 2 apprenticeship with us more than 25 years ago.
She rekindled the connection when we posted on our LinkedIn social media account about the success of our latest apprentice Ellie McCartney, when she passed her Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeship and NVQ at Oldham College.
Julia, who became Principal and CEO at Hopwood Hall in 2019 after almost four years as Vice Principal, replied: "Congratulations Ellie! I started my Level 2 accountancy apprenticeship at Hill's Panel Products (a lifetime ago) and have very happy memories. Onwards and upwards Ellie!"
Hopwood Hall, which has campuses in Rochdale and Middleton, has around 7,500 learners and is seen as a beacon for lifelong learning.
To mark National Apprenticeship Week 2023 running from February 6th-12th, the college is holding a special Apprenticeships Open Event on February 8th to connect people of all ages with employers and apprenticeship opportunities.
Julia adds: "I am forever grateful for the opportunities that I have received thanks to my apprenticeship at Hill's Panel Products.
"The support from my employers coupled with the encouragement of my lecturers meant I was able to thrive as I attained life-changing qualifications in my 20s.
"The experience ultimately marked the beginning of a long journey that would take me into my current position as Principal and CEO at Hopwood Hall College and University Centre.
"I'm thrilled to lead a college that champions adult learning and offers a diverse range of apprenticeship training routes - meaning others can follow in my footsteps and pursue the same opportunities that I enjoyed when I started my career!"
We have developed an excellent reputation for nurturing apprentices over our 31-year history, and the latest to begin the journey is 18-year-old Warren Booth, from Fitton Hill, and 21-year-old Ryan Griffiths, from Limeside, who are both embarking on Level 2 Supply Chain Warehouse Operative apprenticeships.
Dan Mounsey, our Marketing and Business Development Director, says: "Apprenticeships enable us to train young people in a way that works best for the business.
"It's important to give young people a chance. We are a big employer in the Oldham area, and we see it as our responsibility to give something back to our local community, so we are keen to pursue apprenticeships from that aspect as well."
Ellie, from Chadderton, had been studying with Oldham College for 18 months following on her from her Level 2 qualification, which she put herself on and passed with a distinction/star at Tameside College, where she also passed her maths GCSE at the second attempt.
She says: "HPP has been really good to me. If I've needed any extra time to do college work, they've made sure they've catered for that. They've been the best company I could have asked for to do an apprenticeship with. I'd recommend an apprenticeship to anyone."
After leaving HPP, Julia joined the finance team at Oldham Council. She continued to gain new skills and earned her professional accountancy qualification CIPFA (The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) from Leeds Beckett University.
And Julia is not the only connection between us and Hopwood Hall. Maintenance department Head Engineer Ian Banham is another former apprentice who joined us seven years ago with Level 3 City & Guilds in Mechanical Engineering from Hopwood Hall in Middleton.
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