An apprenticeship at Combe Grove could be an alternative to university, offering an opportunity to earn whilst you learn. Our enhanced apprenticeships will include opportunities to engage with the local community, broaden your work experience, extend your learning with additional qualifications and courses, and a partnership programme with aligned neighbouring organisations.

Apprentices are an essential part of Combe Grove and one of the main reasons for the purchase of the property by social enterprise The Elmhurst Foundation in 2017. One of our main charitable aims is to turn the site into a centre for work-based learning excellence and offer 90 high-quality perpetual apprentice positions in a wide variety of disciplines over the coming years.

Why do an apprenticeship at Combe Grove?

In recent years more and more people are choosing to take the apprenticeship route into employment. The benefits of not being burdened with tuition fees or a large student loan debt coupled with the practical hands-on work experience make it an increasingly attractive proposition for many.

Our approach with apprentices

It is important to us that we create a nurturing and supportive environment here at Combe Grove for our apprentices to take their first steps into their chosen career. All our apprentices work under the supervision of one of our mentors; these are our heads of department and a major part of their role is to pass on their knowledge to the next generation.

Apprentices also have the added support of other apprentices within their teams further along in their training journey. Each team will have a mix of 1st, 2nd and 3rd-year apprentices all sharing knowledge and helping each other in their work and study. It is our aim that apprentices achieve the highest level of qualification they can during their time here. 

The apprenticeships we offer

We offer apprenticeships in a variety of disciplines at Combe Grove such as marketing, horticulture, HR, finance, and many more. We are always working to expand our offering here and plan to also offer apprenticeships in areas such as traditional building crafts and conservation in the future. We are proud to offer a selection of Degree level apprenticeships as an alternative to going to University.

Many of our apprenticeships are accredited by national bodies such as AAT, CIPD, ILM and CIM, meaning applicants can be sure of receiving a high standard of training and know that their qualifications will be recognised and respected within their chosen industry.

The benefits of being an apprentice with Combe Grove

We are always working hard to further enrich our apprentices’ learning experience during their time with us. One of the things we do is to organise “community days”. This is where our apprentices go out and visit civic institutions within the community such as the Law Courts or the Air Ambulance and learn about how they operate. The aim of the days was to give the apprentices a more rounded education and to play a small part in helping to make them better citizens.

We also have a network of local employers we encourage our apprentices to visit over their time with us. This means they gain additional work experience and make valuable connections within the local community

• 30 days holiday, including bank holidays 
• A day per week dedicated to private study 
• Employee pension scheme 
• 4 citizenship and community volunteering days per year 
• Work experience placements 
• Support from an experienced mentor 
• Ongoing career conversations and support in finding onward employment 
• Regular appraisals and a personal development plan to help meet your objectives 
• Coach House membership with full access to gym, swim, classes and tennis. 
• Access to 70 acres of outstanding natural beauty