From classroom to staffroom

A FORMER apprentice has swapped the classroom for the staff room to help others progress their careers.

Lisa Bell gained an NVQ Level 3 in Beauty Therapy with Durham Business Club back in 2006.

After a break to have her daughter Brooke, Lisa has now returned to College to undertake a teaching qualification.

And when the opportunity for a work placement came up, she knew where to ask.

Lisa, 23, said: “I had such a good experience gaining my apprenticeship with Durham Business Club so it’s great to be able to come back here and pass on my own knowledge and experience to the newest apprentices.”

Lisa, from Consett, is undertaking a Certificate in Education qualification at DerwentsideCollege and has to complete 150 hours of teaching during the two year course.

Being on the other side of the classroom has opened her eyes a little bit to what is expected of teachers.

“When I was training you don’t really appreciate how hard it can be for a teacher,” she admitted.

“There’s a lot of preparation that goes into every lesson – and how much time that takes before you even get to the classroom.”

Lisa now plans to teach full time once she has qualified and is also looking forward to her wedding in May to fiancé David.

But she recommended apprenticeships to any school leaver looking to gain on the job work experience.

She added: “Some people who leave school and go to college drop out after a while because it doesn’t necessarily offer them the real work experience they are looking for.

“But you get that with an apprenticeship. You learn first hand from people who have been there and have the experience.

“Learning in the workplace is invaluable as every day throws up something different and you can see how things work practically rather than in theory.”

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