Apprentices continue to thrive on the Essex Cricket apprenticeship scheme with wide-ranging opportunities available.
The success of Essex not only lies on the pitch, with vast amounts of good work being done behind the scenes.
Club apprenticeships vary from sports coaching to business, and they lay the platform for young adults to go into higher education or jobs.
A number of the Essex first team squad went through the programme including Nick Browne and Aaron Beard.
Kelley Castle (Growth Apprentice), Bradley Donovan (Growth Apprentice) and Charlotte Read (Coach Core) are the latest three to be enrolled in the scheme.
Castle spoke to the official website and said: “The scheme is helping me achieve the qualifications to get into Loughborough University. I am currently doing a business administration apprenticeship and it is giving me the skills to achieve a university place.
“I am currently playing for Essex women and that was where I heard about the scheme. It is very laid-back and hopefully allows me to get into Loughborough. From there I am hoping to go on and play for England but if that doesn’t materialise then at least I have these skills to fall back on.”
Donovan added: “I have found the whole scheme really interesting and it has inspired me to pursue a career in coaching. I chose this scheme because I know the club and the set up here.
“I am involved in the disability team and I want to carry on with the wheelchair cricket section that me and Patrick Ward have set up. I want more clubs in Essex getting involved in disability sport and this scheme gives me the platform to achieve that.”
Read concluded: “The whole apprenticeship scheme is very flexible and enables me to balance my time between Volleyball England, Essex Cricket and college as well. I am putting into place the technical skills I have learnt on my college course into a practical environment and that can only be a good thing for me and those I am coaching.”
