The managing director of Simon Acres Group, Simon Acres, is a vocal supporter of apprenticeships and has announced he is ‘practising what he preaches’ by becoming an apprentice.

Simon has embarked on a level 3 Independent Assessor qualification with a specialist end-point assessment organisation, Achieve & Partners.

On completion of his apprenticeship, Simon will be qualified to endpoint assess standards for Trade Supplier L2, Fitted Furniture Design Technician L3 and Fitted Furniture Installer L2.

Acres commented, “I am delighted to take on this apprenticeship and show by my actions how valuable it is to support an apprentice programme for our industry. We also have two young apprentices at Simon Acres Group, and they have demonstrated how advantageous it can be to bring new people with fresh ideas into a business.

We need a step–change from talking to doing; everyone can play a part in promoting this way of learning as a viable and respected option to attract more apprentices and counter the serious skills crisis we face.”

In addition, Simon has also joined the government-recognised Apprentice Ambassador Network (AAN).  This network comprises a group of employers whose main aim is to spearhead the drive to engage new employers to commit to apprenticeship delivery in England.