In November 2018, GAP Group’s Learning & Development team organised and hosted an apprentice event which took place at Lake Windermere, Cumbria. A group of Fitters and Hire & Sales Coordinators approaching the end of their apprenticeships took part in challenges and activities, developed specifically for GAP by the Brathay event organisers. The focus of the event was on improving and building confidence, team building skills, efficiency, problem solving and personal development.
During the four-day event, every one of our apprentices fully immersed themselves in all the activities presented to them. The activities challenged the apprentices both physically and mentally while they worked in their teams.
An array of challenges were set up to develop the teams’ necessary skills. The teammates took boats out rowing on Lake Windermere, during the day and even in the darkness at night, to work on their efficiency in navigation and coordination. They took part in activities such as, rope climbing on obstacle courses up in the trees to show their dedication towards overcoming their fears and building confidence, and tyre jumping to practise creating a systematic process. The teams also completed outdoor puzzle challenges, displaying communication skills and working well together within a team. Hosting the event in the winter brought its own challenges, however, despite the weather conditions, the teams successfully completed every activity together.
The purpose of the event was to recognise the hard work the individuals have put in throughout their apprenticeships as well as to improve the ‘life skills’ that will be needed back in their depots and their careers within GAP Group.
After the event, every apprentice said that they had come away feeling as if they had learnt a lot about themselves. The challenges and uncomfortable situations they had found themselves in were worthwhile in the end due to the huge sense of achievement they felt. The overall feedback received described the event as being motivational, rewarding, thought-provoking and powerful.
Below is a video featuring images and footage taken during the event: