In celebration of National Apprenticeship Week 2023, Ross Care is shining a light on a few of our current apprentices who are gaining skills for life as well as having a positive impact on our business.

Here are two account from team members currently working through their apprenticeships.

 Daniel Bielski - Technical Instructor, Surrey Wheelchair Service

 I am working as a Technical Instructor for Surrey Wheelchair Services. My love for wheelchairs started a long time ago when I was on doing my rehabilitation diploma in Poland and was looking after the medical equipment.

I joined Surrey Wheelchair Services in January 2018. Working closely with awesome therapists and engineers has motivated me to become a professional myself.

Ross Care enabled me to take a massive step forward in my career by enrolling me on a Level 4 Apprenticeship in Healthcare Science. When completing this I plan to apply for recognition by RCT as a Rehabilitation Engineer. My Apprenticeship involves a combination of online lectures and working face to face with skilled, professional therapists. Thanks to the awesome team around me at Ross Care, I have never had to look elsewhere for external help, as the team are always always willing to support me. Specifically, I cannot imagine undertaking my apprenticeship without my engineering manager – Rakesh. He is always patient, willing to explain and help with any problematic subjects I have. 

As part of my apprenticeship, I was encouraged to share my knowledge with other team members. One example was working with the Field Service Engineer team regarding programming DX and Linx controllers for powerchairs. Another example is that I’m taking part in a team developing operating procedures for configuring the weight distribution of rear wheel drive wheelchair using specialist seating. I am adding further value to the service through inspecting and making decisions as to whether retuned wheelchairs are suitable for refurbishment.

One aspect of my apprenticeship that I am really enjoying is working closely with the Motor Neurone Disease association to facilitate complex powerchair programming and assistive technology which improves quality of life for people with the deteriorative condition.

Ross Care is very supportive with the practical arrangements to undertake my apprenticeship too, such as being granted to work one day a week from home to complete admin and work on my modules for University as well as supporting with any training I need.

I look forward to graduating and working for my RCT registration. Once that is done, I hope to be hired by Ross Care as fully fledged Rehabilitation Engineer and increase the quality of the service we provide.

 Graham Water - East Sussex Wheelchair Service

I have been working through the level 4 apprenticeship in Healthcare Science - Clinical Engineering since April 2021. The coursework has been all via distance learning, with regular group tutorials held over Zoom. The training provider, Dynamic training, has been great and my assessor has always been available to offer guidance and support when I’ve needed it.

The coursework has been varied and included group presentations, workbooks, case studies and professional discussions which have helped build my confidence in these areas. My course has covered a wide range of healthcare science subjects including:

• Mathematics
• Statistics
• Physical sciences
• Teaching and assessing
• Clinical engineering
• Workshop skills
• Rehabilitation engineering and much more.

The team I work with at Ross Care have all been very supportive and have helped to find learning opportunities working alongside them as well as ensuring I have protected time to complete my work. I would recommend the apprenticeship to anyone thinking of doing so, it has been structured in a way that has eased me back into learning and hasn’t been too daunting!

Find out more about Department of Education's National Apprenticeships Week here: https://naw.appawards.co.uk/