Traineeships - Optimum Skills

What is a Traineeship?

A traineeship is an education and training programme, which incorporates work experience, preparing young people with the skills and experience needed to find an apprenticeship or employment. At Optimum Skills our traineeship programmes are 14 weeks of unique and exciting opportunities, including out of the classroom team building activities, guest speakers from our local employers, followed by work experience in your chosen sector.

Optimum Skills are currently running two traineeship programme routeways:

The general routeway covering aspects of customer service, money management, CV writing and interview skills, team building. This routeway can lead into of the apprenticeships we can provide, depending on career interests, including; butchery, customer service, digital marketing.*

The construction routeway, which is based at the Optimum Skills Construction Academy, in Darlington. This routeway covers aspects of bricklaying, joinery, property maintenance, as well as health and safety and asbestos awareness. This routeway will lead into the construction based apprenticeships we provide.

*(Find the extensive list of apprenticeship qualifications Optimum Skills provides here.)

Why choose the Optimum Skills Traineeship?

At Optimum Skills we want to give young people in our local communities the chance to develop and demonstrate their capabilities in the workplace, through this traineeship programme, we will prepare them with the skills and knowledge needed. For many young people college and sixth form may not have suited them, and without the qualifications and experience it may be difficult to for them to find an apprenticeship.

Benefits of traineeship

The opportunity to build your CV and gain valuable work experience with local employers, learn about the business and industry to get a taste and see if it suits you
Work preparation, putting you in a better position to secure an apprenticeship
Maths and English support, for those who need it, to boost career prospects
Confidence building activities to support you into work experience and apprenticeship

You may be suitable for a traineeship if:

If you are aged between 16 – 19 not currently in education, employment, or training
If you are qualified to only GCSE level
You are motivated to get into the workplace in one of the sectors we can offer
Need to gain more work experience
Are having trouble securing an apprenticeship, due to a lack of skills and experience

“It’s a good place to go because they literally encourage you to do anything and everything. They help you out loads, they’re always supportive and they try and find you employment.” – Chloe

Guest Speakers and Site Visits

Something which makes the Optimum Skills Traineeship programme unique is the opportunity to learn and be inspired by guest speakers and site visits. These opportunities give the learners insight from industry specialists and a potential view of the future they could make for themselves. We also have speakers from local groups and charities to talk about mental health, money management, managing stress, and other life skills.