A Stratford apprentice is set to advance her career thanks to the work-based training she’s received while working at Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust.
Beth Muckley, 27 from Stratford-upon-Avon, embarked upon a Customer Service apprenticeship with Stratford-upon-Avon College in 2018. Having worked at the Trust since 2016, Beth signed up for the apprenticeship after seeing an internal advertisement and recognising its potential for boosting her self-confidence and future prospects: “I thought it would be a great chance to advance my career and it’s something I can put on my CV when I look for a job in the future.”
As a Retail and Reception Assistant at Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, her role involves greeting visitors to the Shakespeare’s New Place site on Chapel Street, answering questions about Shakespeare’s life story, and serving customers in the gift shop.
Beth’s apprenticeship certainly has increased her self-assurance. Karen May, Retail and Reception Team Leader at the Trust and Beth’s apprenticeship mentor, commented: “I’ve noticed Beth’s supervisory skills improving the most because she wasn’t such a confident person when we first took her on. She’s really grown though and now I know that I can comfortably let her run the shop and manage the sale of tickets to Shakespeare’s New Place whenever I’m on a day off.”
Beth’s achievements are particularly impressive in the light of the challenges she has had to face completing her coursework; being dyslexic, she finds written work particularly difficult, but is now preparing to take her final assessment.
Both agree that the training Beth has received from the College has been instrumental in her progress at the Trust, boosting her self-confidence and enabling her to take on greater responsibility. “They’ve been really good – if ever I have any questions or need guidance with my work, the College gets back to me straight away.”
And what’s next for Beth’s career? Thanks to her apprenticeship she has gained the confidence to further her ambitions. “I’d really like to progress to a team leader role, ideally at Shakespeare Birthplace Trust or perhaps at a museum or elsewhere in the tourist industry.”
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is an independent, self-sustaining charity that cares for the world’s greatest Shakespeare heritage in his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon. Encompassing sites at Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Shakespeare’s New Place, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Mary Arden’s Farm, and Hall’s Croft, it is the global centre for learning about – and experiencing the works, life and times of – the world’s best-known writer.
