Today is World Teachers’ Day, so we’re putting the spotlight on one of our past students who’s now using his experience to inspire others.
As one of the largest providers of apprenticeships and training in the country, we pride ourselves on finding the best teachers to deliver the best education to our students. In fact, we have 138 tutors in-house, who have a whopping 660 years’ experience between them. Collectively, they’ve helped 100,000 learners to realise their potential and achieve their career goals.
And one person who our teachers trained to become a teacher himself is Akeim Mundell, who has had an incredible journey with the Growth Company. He studied with us because it was the easiest and most manageable way to study whilst working a full-time job and managing his other commitments within his local community.
So what did Akeim study with us? Firstly, he completed a foundation degree in education, before getting a full BA (Hons) degree in the same field. Akeim then went on to do a PGCE to further improve his chances of getting a job in an industry he was passionate about.
He began his teaching career as a level 2 teaching assistant at St. Mary’s Primary School – which just so happened to be his old primary school – back in 2010. From there, Akeim, progressed to a higher level teaching assistant, and then to a cover teacher and IT lead. He’s now working as a pastoral leader in a newly-opened secondary school where he supports and encourages students.
Speaking about who inspired him to take up a career in teaching, Akeim said: “My tutor from Trafford College, Pat Norris, inspired me to pursue a career in education and teaching because of how well the childcare course was delivered to us daily. Pat's journey inspired me. She had been working and teaching for many years. She shared her knowledge and experiences with us, which made me realise that teaching was something I wanted to try due to how rewarding it is and how much of an impact I knew I could have on children’s lives. I can honestly say that this was the best decision I've made and if it wasn't for Pat Norris, I wouldn't be in the teaching field today.”
Akeim gets great satisfaction from seeing his students’ progress, and he’s proud to be making a difference to the younger generation. And, he has some great advice for anyone considering a career in teaching. He said: “If you're unsure of whether it's right for you, think about volunteering in an educational environment to gain an insight into the field. But, honestly, it’s one of the best career paths to go down”.
It’s great to see Akeim living our values and empowering young people to achieve, and we’re also proud to play such a vital part in educating the workforce of tomorrow.
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