A RECRUITMENT agency has helped an unemployed catering assistant make a radical career change by appointing her as its first ever apprentice.

Newcastle-based Primary Care Recruitment, based in Gosforth, chose to recruit an apprentice, after being disappointed with the calibre of candidates that they were able to attract through traditional recruitment.

The firm’s director and founder, Joanne Wood decided to try the apprenticeship route and provide an opportunity for someone to work with her team and train on the job.

After contacting Newcastle College, Joanne appointed 30-year-old Emma Green as a business administration apprentice.

Green, from Cramlington, had been working as a catering assistant in Newcastle’s Monument Mall for 13 years when she was made redundant in February. Building on her interest in business development, she decided to completely change careers and look at recruitment.

Knowing that she did not have the relevant experience in this field, she began looking into apprenticeships as a way of realising her ambitions and gaining valuable training in the workplace.

She contacted Newcastle College despite her initial concerns that at 30 she was older than the average apprenticeship candidate. The college worked with her and matched her with Primary Care Recruitment, who were impressed with her determination and enthusiasm.

Green is now undertaking an NVQ Level 2 Business Administration Apprenticeship.