My RHA
On the right track!
9th July 2020 | posted in News
Railway Housing Association's first-ever apprentice is continuing on the right tracks – over 10 years since joining.
Charlotte Wallace began working for us at the tender age of 17.
The first apprentice in our 100 years-plus history, Charlotte, now aged 28, has made great strides, the latest achievement being the successful completion of a Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Building Studies.
The follows her promotion from Maintenance Assistant to the job she now holds as Contracts Coordinator.
Charlotte says she is delighted to have achieved an overall merit, which included several distinctions for certain assignments, at the end of her two-year course, which was funded by Railway Housing Association.
She says: “I had to do an access course to begin the HNC so all in all, I have been studying for three years on day release and when I was not at work.
“It was challenging at times, but it has given me a great insight into areas such as building surveying, building technology and health and safety.”
Charlotte is now planning to take a rest from studying but hasn’t ruled out the possibility of doing a degree in the future.
In the meantime, she’s concentrating on her day job, which for the last few months has been undertaken at home due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
As Contracts Coordinator, her responsibilities mainly revolve around the health and safety aspects of housing services, such as fire and gas inspections and water hygiene and liaising with contractors who carry out this work. She also continues to have regular contact with the Association’s residents.
Charlotte adds: “The last 11 years have gone so quickly and it’s hard to believe I started as an apprentice and have worked my way up, and now even have a qualification to my name.”
Anne Rowlands, Chief Executive of Railway Housing Association, said: “We’re delighted for Charlotte. She’s an important member of the team and proved a long time ago that we made the right decision when we offered a full-time role when her apprenticeship ended.”
