The South West Heritage Trust has congratulated apprentice Rae Pearson who recently achieved a distinction in Level 3 Content Creation from Bridgwater & Taunton College.
Rae completed her End Assessment having been with the trust for 17 months as part of the Arts Council funded NPO programme. As a valued member of the NPO team Rae has helped to deliver a variety of community engagement activity, from care homes to early years providers, learning a huge range of skills including event organisation, website design and social media. 
Rae is one of four apprentices working with the charity that delivers heritage services including museums and archives. Since 2023, the South West Heritage Trust has partnered with local training providers—Bridgwater & Taunton College and Richard Huish College—to offer apprenticeship training. The other apprentices work across marketing, exhibitions and design, and finance.
“This apprenticeship has provided me with invaluable experience and a wide range of transferable skills in a sector that truly interests me. I’ve had the opportunity to work on diverse projects with various community groups—experiences that would not have been possible at this stage in my career without this apprenticeship.
“I have greatly enjoyed collaborating with a skilled and diverse team within a supportive organisation, alongside an exceptional training provider,” said Rae.
The apprenticeship programme has provided opportunities for the trust to support local young people in pursuing their career aspirations and to gain valuable insight into the heritage sector.
It has helped the trust build towards a more diverse workforce, with young people bringing fresh ideas and perspectives. It also contributes to developing mentoring and management skills for staff.
“The South West Heritage Trust is providing excellent opportunities and experiences for their apprentices and are really committed to giving high quality training and support.
“This has been consistently provided during learners’ on-programme training and end point assessment,” said Teresa Bridgman, Trainer Assessor Apprenticeships – Business & Professional Studies, at Bridgwater & Taunton College.
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