Paragon skills for industry

Lewis Wakefield at Albion Chemicals

Lewis is currently working towards an Apprenticeship in Warehousing and Distribution

Lewis Wakefield is working towards an Apprenticeship in Warehousing and Distribution at Albion Chemicals in Corfe Mullen. The company is a leading independent distributor of bulk and packaged chemicals.

Bob Wakefield is the Operations Manager at the site. He has found the programme to be beneficial to the company: “Enrolling on the Apprenticeship has resulted in Lewis becoming increasingly motivated at work. Having a nationally recognised qualification to work towards has increased his dedication to his work and improved his input to the company.”

Mr Wakefield believes that work-based learning is ideal for the company since the training can be tailored to the company’s requirements. “Lewis is able to learn skills specific to the industry, such as dilution of chemicals, alongside general storage and distribution techniques. Learning from professionals in the industry means that the skills he is developing suit the company’s way of working.”

Additional training with Paragon enhances Lewis’s on-the-job learning. He is working towards Key Skills qualifications in Application of Number and Communication to broaden his skills base. Lewis has also passed his forklift truck operator licence as part of the Apprenticeship.

Lewis recognises the advantages that the Apprenticeship brings to himself: “I am gaining essential work experience as well as qualifications that prove my competence in warehousing and distribution. Working at the same time as learning is definitely the best way to do it.”

Paragon’s Retail and Warehousing Assessor Vikki McCallum has been impressed at the speed Lewis has progressed: “The training provided by the company and by Paragon Skills mean that his skills have developed quickly and he will soon be a fully qualified member of staff at Albion.”