Afton | Faces of Futures

Afton, Support Worker at Waverley Housing with Care

Hi, my name is Afton. I’m 30 years old and love art and craft and spending time with my 2-year-old son.

I started my apprenticeship with Hillcrest Futures in May 2015. My Role is Support Worker with the Housing with Care service at the Waverley Sheltered Housing, where I care for and support older people.

I saw the advertisement for the apprenticeship on Facebook via the Hillcrest page. At the time, I was only 21 years of age and was working as a support worker in a residential care home. When I saw this advertisement, I jumped at the chance as it sounded right up my street and was the perfect opportunity to expand my experience in the care industry and also gain my SVQ2 in Health care and Social Services. It was just what I had been looking for, as the next step in my career in Care.

Both services I have worked for during my eight years with Hillcrest have been a great support when I first started, helping me to learn the ways of the job and I feel I have learned a great deal, not just work related but also facts of life, from staff and service users within Hillcrest. The part I love most about my job is being able to help others, however big or small, to make their daily life that little bit easier.

The advice I would give to young people, considering taking the path of an apprenticeship, is to go for it! It’s the perfect way to learn new skills, gain the qualifications you need and meet new people, while gaining work experience at the same time. It’s one of the best decisions, I’ve ever made, I only regret I didn’t do it sooner.

Hillcrest provides young people with the opportunity to voice their opinions and experiences within the company. Hillcrest also encourages their staff to believe in themselves as a person and as a worker, and provides opportunity for progression within job roles and encourages staff to be the best that they can be. This is why, I would highly recommend taking on a role with Hillcrest.