A school leaver started an apprenticeship…& then his dad started the same one

Keeping it in the family.

A school leaver applied for an apprenticeship after his A-levels, and shortly afterwards his father applied for a programme at the same company. 

Dominic left school in 2018 and applied for an apprenticeship at insurance firm RSA, where his dad John already worked, the pair told the BBC.

When Dominic’s three-hour interview resulted in him being hired, his dad was inspired to go for RSA’s apprenticeship programme for existing employees - and he was taken on too.

John first joined the company in 2017 after health issues forced him to step away from a 30-year career as an electrical engineer, both on the road and in technical support.

Dominic told the BBC: "Dad has the engineering background, so particularly when it comes to claims handling... he has the upper hand on me, he can identify the technical aspects of a claim (…) when it comes to looking for pipes in a building, finding out where a leak's coming from."

When Dominic’s three-hour interview resulted in him being hired, his dad was inspired to go for RSA’s apprenticeship programme for existing employees - and he was taken on too.

But when it comes to the more theoretical part of the course, Dominic has the advantage, having done A-levels so recently.

Living in the same household means they can help each other revise, and talk over elements of the programme they might be struggling with.

Once the father and son duo complete their current programme, they will both be eligible for a Degree Apprenticeship at RSA, but otherwise the pair look likely to move in very different directions.

Dominic says the programme has has allowed him to work in different departments in the company, and that he particularly enjoyed his time with the digital team He thinks his future might be there, potentially as a web developer.

John wants to maximise use of his technical and people skills, gained from his years as an engineer, maybe on the project management side of things.

For the time being though, they’re both enjoying their apprenticeship, and prove that these programmes are great for people at every stage of their career: school leaver or otherwise

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