Heather Butchart is a support worker in our Aberdeen South branch who is part of a team that currently supports seven people. She came into social care straight after leaving school at the end of fifth year and has been working with Cornerstone for three years.  

“I had previously done an SVQ in childcare at college but I had been working in social care for a while so thought doing the Modern Apprenticeship would be a great way to expand my learning and give me a broader understanding of care.” 

Heather started her Modern Apprenticeship at the end of November and hopes to be finished by the middle of the year. She is proud of herself for having twenty percent done already! 

The skills Heather has been learning on the Modern Apprenticeship have given her more confidence in her role as support worker.

“I’ve developed better writing skills and better communication skills , helping me to  get my point across. These things have really helped my confidence.” 

For Heather, the best part of the Modern Apprenticeship is the learning. “I’m gaining more understanding of laws and legislations. Being able to apply this knowledge to those I support helps me make their lives better.”  

“The Modern Apprenticeship has allowed me to expand on everything. It’s given me time to learn and understand things like legislation instead of just reading about them. It’s helped build my confidence knowing what to do and how to support people, and it’s been nice to do something educational again.” 

There is plenty of support available for people doing the Modern Apprenticeship and Heather has found the mentorship from her mentor/assessor, Fiona, to be incredibly helpful. “Fiona is lovely and puts in all the effort that she can and I always try to pay her back by working hard as well.”   

Heather would recommend the Modern Apprenticeship to anyone considering applying. “It’s so beneficial to our careers and to the people we support.”  

And to read more stories like Heather's you can go here.