New apprenticeship manager arrives at Telford College

Tom Ruston has more than a decade of experience working in the apprenticeship sector across the West Midlands.

He trained as an apprentice in Sandwell as a 17-year-old, and has since held senior positions with Black Country-based organisations Juniper Training, and Nova Training.

He described his new Telford College role as a ‘fantastic opportunity to make a real impact’ and said he was looking forward to helping students and businesses thrive together.

“In recent times we have seen a growing debate around the role of apprenticeships versus university studies, " he said. "And my belief is that if a job role doesn’t require a degree, you should definitely do an apprenticeship.

“With apprenticeships ever expanding, there are more and more opportunities. There is a generational mindset that apprenticeships are for the less academic – this isn’t the case, there’s much more to an apprenticeship than this.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the success of the college’s apprenticeship programmes and make a meaningful impact on the lives of students, employers, and the wider community.

“My business development experience has included the account management of large apprenticeship levies, making sure it is used to deliver the right sort of learners, and right levels of service.”

In his new role at Telford College, Tom will be involved in quality assurance processes, supporting the college’s apprenticeship team, and gathering and monitoring feedback from employers to ensure continuous improvement.

He will be working closely alongside the college’s business development manager Chris Field to assess the training needs of local employers, and explore opportunities for offering new courses to meet their demands.

Tom said: “The role is very much about collaboration and communication - both internally across college departments and campuses, and externally around the local business community.”