Success stories

Narmeen Tahir

Narmeen joined Catalyst this year and quickly made an impact on her team. Luciana Buzak, Employment & Skills Manager and Narmeen’s Line manager said: “Narmeen really deserves this award – she is a great asset for Catalyst Gateway and has consistently excelled at everything she gets involved with.” 

Narmeen says:
“The support has been really positive as I have been encouraged to see my potential and to do tasks that I otherwise thought I could not do. Through this support and recognition I was shortlisted for the National Apprentice of the year and went onto win this award.” 

Gistan Burchard

Gistan joined us as a Workplace Assistant Apprentice between October 18 – November 19 and became a permanent member of staff as a Workplace Assistant in December 2019. 

Gistan says:
“Throughout my apprenticeship, not only have I been able to adapt a professional/corporate profile – learning key aspects to the behavioural standards as well as the specific vocabulary that’s required to communicate professionally. Ellie (Mentor) has been a great help also, ensuring my time management is something I focus my attention on as well as supporting my general needs towards the course, my tutor really helped me understand the core principles of the course from the module objectives, the general progression opportunities. “ 

Tej Purewal

I joined Catalyst when I was 16 in October 2018 in the role as the Front of House Apprentice. Then in December 2019 I moved into my new permanent role as a Sales and Marketing Assistant.

What originally attracted you to taking an apprenticeship at Catalyst?
Before I began my journey at Catalyst when I was 16, I had just finished my GCSE’s in June. I was sitting at home thinking what I should do with myself. I thought an apprenticeship would be the best direction to head in as I would earn a wage whilst gaining experience in a professional workplace. I had come across ‘QA Apprenticeships’ online and saw an advert for a course in ‘Business Administration Level 3’ for Catalyst Housing. Before I applied, I did my own research about Catalyst and found that it was a well-established business to work for which is something key to look at when applying for a job. I also saw that there was a lot of support provided for the previous apprentices as well as a very respectable salary. This was enough to help me make my decision.

What have you learnt from doing an apprenticeship?
The Apprenticeship really developed my knowledge and understanding of how workplaces operate. Working at the Front of House I got a lot of exposure to different sides to the business which allowed me to see how different teams support the business. I learned many fundamental administrative skills which I still apply in my role as a Sales and Marketing Assistant today. As an apprentice you also gain an array of people skills, you learn how to communicate with other colleagues in a professional manner, as well as learning how to effectively work with our customers, this was key as at the Front of House we dealt with many vulnerable customers so being empathetic was a big skill I learnt.

What has the support been like during your apprenticeship?
Throughout the apprenticeship from start to finish, I knew I had many people around me who were willing to support me and help me when I was stuck or unsure. I was lucky to have a very understanding and supportive manager who always encouraged me strived to get the best out of me as well as my colleagues who worked along side me who trained me in my role and made me feel comfortable within the team. Ellie my apprenticeship coordinator had regular catch-ups with me, making sure I was on track with the course as well as providing me with all the help I needed. My skills coach who led me through the apprenticeship also regularly caught up with me and sat with me 1-to-1 to perfect my coursework.