#TeamNorthMid blogs

Thank you to North Mid's Daniela Savevska-Tsang for sharing her story and her apprentice experience during this National Apprenticeship Week 2023. The theme for this year's campaign is “Skills for Life”. We encourage everyone to consider how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career, and employers to develop a workforce with future-ready skills.

Tell us a little bit about yourself…

I’m a clinical specialist occupational therapist, the OT team lead for stroke and neuro outliers and job share as the clinical and professional lead for the occupational therapy service.

I have worked for North Mid for over 17 years, firstly as a student placement in 2003. I then joined as an occupational therapy assistant in 2005 whilst completing an occupational therapies degree at South Bank University. My career pathway has seen me moving into more senior positions.

What apprenticeship are you doing, or did you complete? 

I’m currently completing a Level 5 Coaching Professional apprenticeship which I started in September 2021 through the Trust.

What attracted you to apply for this apprenticeship in the first place?

I have a warm friendly approach to building professional relationships and by nature am caring and empathetic. I feel passionate about coaching and coaching conversations as I see it as a great learning and development opportunity.

Through my work as a line manager, team lead, and service head, I have formally and informally mentored and supervised many staff members and students predominantly within my professional field. As part of the apprenticeship programme, I practice as an internal coach providing supportive one-to-one coaching, accessible to staff within the organisation on a voluntary basis.

What are the benefits of doing an apprenticeship? What skills and knowledge/personal qualities have you gained and how are supporting your team and department?

The programme has helped me develop a range of skills and behaviours that I have been able to incorporate whilst working to gain the coaching professional qualification. I have significantly developed my core coaching skills in listening, questioning, paraphrasing and summarising.

I want to create a safe, open, yet challenging space for staff to explore and reflect on their desired goals and outcomes, whilst identifying and developing greater insight and learning of their own strengths and limitations.

Through this process, they can independently reach an action plan. My coaching style is solution focused and has always been based on active listening, passing knowledge and problem-solving whilst building and maintaining good professional and or learning relationships.

Through the programme, I have built up my confidence and competence with a number of coaching models, tools, and techniques. I have developed my theoretical knowledge and practical work skills by understanding the similarities and differences between coaching, mentoring, and counselling. I have been able to relay this clearly to staff whilst supporting them and maintaining integrity in my role as an apprentice coach and adhering to the Code of Ethics.

How do you see the qualification supporting your career going forward? 

I hope to be registered with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council by April 2023 and I want to continue as a coaching professional to accommodate honest and open dialogues and learning. I take pride in ensuring that my practice is fully diversity aware and is inclusive