After several years working on the road for John Lewis, handling driving and technical installations, Tom, 38, had built strong hands-on experience and was ready to take the next step in his career. Keen to use his knowledge to support others, he wanted to develop the leadership, coaching and people-management skills needed to mentor colleagues and progress into a management role.

With the support of his family, colleagues and employer, Tom enrolled on one of our leadership apprenticeship courses. The programme allowed him to build on his existing workplace experience while developing the confidence, behaviours and practical skills required to lead a successful team.

Building confidence and leadership capability

Throughout the apprenticeship, Tom developed the core behaviours and skills needed to move into a leadership role. A key focus of the course was personal development, helping him understand how his own behaviours, focus and approach influence the way he supports others:

“The course really focused on personal development first, teaching me how to manage myself, my own behaviours, and my focus.”

As the course progressed, Tom was able to apply practical leadership and operational techniques directly within his role, strengthening his ability to manage people fairly, support team performance and contribute to wider operational goals:

“I learned key management techniques, especially how to lead diverse teams and manage different types of people fairly and equally.

“It taught me how to effectively manage resources and, most importantly, how to coach and mentor people to bring out the absolute best in them to drive personal and operational goals.”

Apprenticeship success supports career progression

The apprenticeship had a clear impact on Tom’s confidence, capability and career progression. By combining workplace experience with structured learning, he achieved a distinction in his end-point assessment and successfully secured a new role at John Lewis & Partners:

“The skills I gained on the course are the reason I have just successfully passed my interview for a section manager at John Lewis.”

Continuing the learning journey

Tom is now focused on establishing himself in his new role and building a strong reputation as a section manager. His apprenticeship has provided a strong foundation for leading, coaching and developing colleagues while supporting the needs of the wider business.

He is also continuing to invest in his own development and has applied for a higher-level apprenticeship, and is currently working towards his transport manager CPC qualification, demonstrating his commitment to ongoing progression and long-term leadership growth.

Contact TRS to find out how our apprenticeships can support your organisation