Each year National Apprenticeship Week (February 9-15) brings together everyone passionate about apprenticeships and skills to celebrate the value and opportunity that they bring.
The annual week-long celebration shines a spotlight on the vital role apprentices play in organisations, and here at Coastline we are proud to have 15 across all sectors of the charity, including care, trades and housing.
Three apprentices have recently successfully completed their course and are now full time members of the team.
Apprenticeships can take from 12 months to four years to complete, depending on the course and level. We usually have two in-takes a year, in January and September.
The numbers Coastline take on vary each year depending upon current apprentices’ planned end dates and the need for growth within our teams.
In the past, our apprentices were offered a permanent role only if a vacancy happened to come up at the right time. Now we do it the other way around: we only create an apprenticeship where we know we’ll need a permanent role at the end.
We had a chat to some of our fantastic apprentices to find out what they think about working at Coastline.
Lauren, a Painting and Repairs Apprentice, said: “I used to do boat building with my dad and I really like practical work, I didn’t like just sitting around working on a computer.
“I did carpentry and it led me on to painting. I like art, so I combined the two! It’s really good doing an apprenticeship and a trade because you can work your way up and learn while you go.”
Luca, who has recently completed his apprenticeship and is now a full time Housing Services Administrator, decided to give it a go to as it provides a good balance between studies and hands-on experience.
He said: “It helped me build confidence speaking to people internally and externally and gave me experience managing different projects and juggling different tasks.
“I now float between five teams and I’ve gained knowledge from lots of different people. My advice would be to definitely give it a go, just jump in headfirst and you won’t regret it.”
Luca added that the apprenticeship gave him a full year to “warm into it” gaining knowledge and familiarising himself with Coastline before moving into his full time role.
Brothers Jacob and Lucius are Roofing Apprentices and enjoy getting tools ready, setting up on the “scaff” and getting ready for the day ahead.
Lucius said: “We work outside and it’s physical, hands-on and keeps your mind going. I much prefer it to being behind a desk.”
Jacob described January as being “crazy” with numerous repairs, such as fixing leaks and broken tiles, as a result of the wild weather.
He added: “I’d definitely recommend an apprenticeship to get your foot in the door and pick up a new skill and then it can progress further in your life.”
The Department for Education’s theme for this year’s week-long celebration is 'Skills For Life'. For more information, click here: National Apprenticeship Week 2026, 9 - 15 February 2026