Welcome to our third blog of 1-2-1 sessions with our members. This is an opportunity to expand on a member’s profile and give some personal insight into what they do and why.

This month is Karen Sallows, director of Crown Vocational Training – a specialist in apprenticeship and vocational training, based in Leigh-on-Sea. Crown also offers private tutoring and staff development programmes, with clients across Essex, Greater London and beyond!

Karen began her career in Estate Agency, she quickly moved up to management and, following a degree, she began teaching. This made her think back to her school days.

“I didn’t do great at school – I was more interested in horses than courses – but I found a good job and by learning while earning, I developed my skills and now help those in similar situations.”

Crown has provided training for over 40 years and currently delivers 170 apprenticeships both to those at the start of their careers and those wanting to enhance their skills. Crown are unique in offering qualifications in Property and Lettings; they also focus on the individual, not just the qualification, offering pastoral care to help students overcome any barriers they face.

“There’s no stereotypical apprentice or apprenticeship,” says Karen. “We often imagine a youngster, learning a craft or skill under the supervision of a master craftsman but it could be anyone and for anything these days. We have those coming straight from school at 16 as well as those in their 30s 40s and 50s who want to improve their prospects for the next step in their career.

Apprentices get employed with a wide range of industries/sectors, learning the job as they go. But they also spend 20% of their time “off the job”, learning theory and doing assignments to consolidate what they’ve done in the workplace.

Crown is obviously doing something right. In 2019, three of the six nominations for Apprentice of the Year were from Crown. This year so far, 100% of apprentices have passed their end point assessment with over 65% gaining a distinction. On top of that, around 90% get retained by the company at the end of the programme.

“The 10% that don’t are usually those that decide the industry isn’t for them or they’ve found employment with another company – so building on their apprenticeship in any event,” says Karen. “Employers are usually keen to keep their apprentice on because they have invested a lot of time training too.”

Crown’s clients come from two directions. Either students get in touch with Karen or companies come to them looking for candidates. Crown effectively acts as a middleman. Karen adds, “Companies come to us, we find suitable candidates from those that have contacted us and then the company interviews and selects who they want. Sometimes, it is someone in an established role who becomes a management apprentice, in order to make that step. Government funding accounts for about 95% of the costs and so it’s a bargain for companies to get their staff trained and developed – for their own and the company’s benefit.

“During the apprenticeship they learn about the company, their role and truly become part of the business. They develop skills and behaviours that prove they know the job but also gets them through the end point assessment of the programme.”

But it isn’t just apprentices that Crown help. There are other programmes available. There are GCSEs, pre-apprentice programmes, business and administration qualifications, and others, that Crown offers.

Karen explains, “We offer a Level 3 college-based programme for school leavers (16-18) in business and IT, this starts in September, it is a small cohort and the emphasis is on preparing for a career in the workplace. We also offer GCSEs in Maths and English, the two subjects that are fundamental for studying further; we are a recognised training centre for Property Mark, which is the awarding body for qualifications in property, residential estate agency and lettings property management.”

Crown find August a busy time, when GCSE results come out and students discover how well they’ve done.

“Many of our students are those that perhaps did not get the grades they hoped at school or, having had their results, decided on a different path,” says Karen. “A-Levels and University are not for everyone, and we help those that want to follow a different path. Our classes are no more than 15 or so, meaning they get more individual attention than they did at school.”

Karen adds, with some pride, “I can think of a student who had been bullied at school and so hadn’t done well. We found them a placement in IT and he was nominated for apprentice of the year; another who left school at 16, no real qualifications but, working with us, they entered estate agency, worked up the firm and now is their general manager. It shows we can make a difference!”

The team at Crown believe that difference is due to learning whilst earning. “It just clicks,” says Karen. “It takes, for example, maths away from the theory in the classroom to the practical in the workplace. It gives it context; they see it being used and it all comes together.”

“We’ve changed lives – and not just those of the apprentice: others too. Some of our early apprentices are now business owners themselves and coming back to us for their own apprentices.”

Former customers bring new customers in? That’s got to be one of the best endorsements for a company. Whether you are a company or someone looking to learn, why not get in touch to see how Karen can help?