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Why did you decide to apply for this apprenticeship?

“I have been wanting to train to be a speech and language therapist (SLT) for a long time, having worked as an assistant practitioner for the last 18 years. Going to university to complete a degree didn’t seem feasible due to having a young family, finances etc, so the speech and language therapy apprenticeship is an amazing opportunity.”

What do you enjoy most about being an apprentice?

“I love the fact that I am learning and studying to be a qualified SLT while building up my work based experiences. I see this as one of the biggest benefits of qualifying through the apprenticeship route as I am better at learning through experience and being on the job. 

“It’s incredibly rewarding to put my new learned knowledge into practice, knowing that something I have studied has changed my working practice and helped a client to progress and improve through therapy.”  

What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced, and how have you overcome this?

“Juggling the balance between life, work and study. It has been challenging managing being a wife and mum to a four year old little boy. I’ve overcome this by reducing my clinical days, being on site at work for three days a week rather than five, and reducing my workload capacity instead of trying to fit five days' work into three.

“Managing the additional study pressures - such as lectures, assignments, reading and exams - has been also difficult. I feel I have grown to be more assertive when managing what I can and can not take on, and saying ‘no’ is not always a bad thing. I am also trying to be more aware of my personal wellbeing and take some down time for myself - this is so important!”

How is this apprenticeship helping you to develop personally and professionally?

“I am learning to be more confident in myself and my abilities. I continue to develop my academic and clinical knowledge and skills in the workplace.

Placements have taken me out of my comfort zone but I’ve learned to embrace this amazing experience and learning opportunity.

Nichola Crozier

"The aim is that by the end of the four years I will have achieved all of the knowledge and skills to be able to be a competent fully functioning SLT.” 

Talk us through a typical day at work. How has your role in the workplace changed since starting your apprenticeship?

“My days are broken down into study days and work-based learning days. I complete my study days whilst working from home. These include a mixture of lectures, directed study packages including core reading and answering questions, and self-study.

“I go to my normal place of work for my work-based learning days at Blackpool Teaching Hospital. I support patients on the Acute Stroke and Rehabilitation Unit with both communication and swallowing difficulties post stroke.

“Since starting my apprenticeship, I have been working more independently and on more complex cases. This has built up over time, from shadowing qualified SLTs to supervised work, to me working independently and feeding back outcomes to the qualified SLT.”

How are you supported by the University of ��«Ӱҵ and your employer?

"I value the teaching and support given to me by the university, but also the fantastic learning opportunities given to me in my place of work. I have an excellent clinical mentor and the rest of the SLT team are also very supportive in my learning. I find that the meetings we have between university and the workplace help to marry things together to ensure that I am on track in both studying and work based learning.

“The other apprentices on the course have been supportive too. All of us are willing to share our knowledge and experiences and pass on ideas and resources to aid in our studies. We have our own WhatsApp Group and there is always someone to respond to a message of help if we need it. With us being a close supportive group we really do feel like we are all in it together and not just the apprentices – the programme leaders and the lecturers too.”