Gabriel-Razvan Petcu – Facilities Support Co-Ordinator at RNLI

My apprenticeship means I can contribute more to what the RNLI stands for and believes in.

Why an apprenticeship?

I joined the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) back in 2016 in an admin role. I was eager to turn my job into a career and started the Level 3 Facilities Management Supervisor Apprenticeship on the recommendation of my line manager. I felt an apprenticeship would be a good way to improve my knowledge – but it became so much more than that. The training enabled me to progress quickly – within three months of starting my apprenticeship, I received a promotion! 

Working for the RNLI offers an extra layer of job satisfaction by knowing that my activities make a contribution, however indirectly, to the lifesaving charity. And not a day goes by without me applying or referring to a learning outcome from my apprenticeship.

Benefitting my business

I was able to put the skills and knowledge I was gaining from my apprenticeship straight into practice at the RNLI. My technical knowledge of building services increased, enabling me to take on extra responsibilities – like issuing health and safety work permits and facilities management projects. I’ve learned different techniques relating to emotional intelligence, which helps me to manage myself as well as a team. 

By putting the wide range of skills, knowledge and behaviours I’ve acquired from my apprenticeship into practice, I believe that I will be able to contribute more to what the RNLI stands for and believes in.

The HIT Training difference

The apprenticeship covered all of the important aspects of facilities management including budgets, health and safety, management and procurement. The HIT Training learning resources were easy-to-access and understand, with plenty of practical examples and online video clips that really helped to pull everything together. 

I was also able to simply drop my HIT Training Consultant an email for help if I ever needed it and they were extremely supportive and patient. Working in the same domain as the one in which I was learning helped to embed the information. With the added help of my HIT Training Consultant, I managed to overcome my fear of public speaking! I now confidently give presentations in front of a large audience.