'Buzzing' Ryan overcomes mental health struggles to secure dream apprenticeship

A new apprentice has been telling how he conquered anxiety so severe he did not finish his education.

Ryan Griffiths is now embarking on his Level 2 Supply Chain Warehouse Operative apprenticeship at Oldham-based Hill’s Panel Products (HPP), which will include additional examinations in maths and English equivalent to the GCSEs he never sat.

Years of mental health struggles culminated in Ryan, now 21, dropping out of school in year 10 at the age of 15.

He said: “It got so bad I couldn’t leave the house for nine months.

"I had it for six or seven years, and I still don’t like travelling.

"The bus to work is only five minutes but it’s still a tough thing to do, you tell yourself nothing is going to happen.”

But Ryan has turned his life around through sheer determination and self-discipline.

He said: “I just started making myself do things again.

"I started going out and making a play to get a job.

"Every time I saw an opportunity I went for it, rather than saying I’ll do it later.”

And he has this advice for anyone facing similar mental health struggles, adding: “Don’t let it grasp you.

"You have to beat it before it beats you.

"Anything you don’t want to do is just your brain telling you not to do it.

"It’s not good - you have to do what you don’t want to do to get out of it.”

Ryan, from Limeside, first came to the attention of HPP - which manufactures and supplies board, doors and fittings the fitted kitchen and bedroom industry - at Oldham Jobs Fair, when he met UK Sales Manager Chris Essex and Sales Office Supervisor Deon Phoenix.

He then emailed his CV to HR Manager Carole Hamnett-Sadler and followed up with her twice.

His persistence paid off and he was invited in for an interview which led to a referral to HPP’s regular apprenticeship providers - North Lancs Training Group in Accrington.

Dan Mounsey, HPP’s Marketing and Business Development Director, said: “Ryan having no qualifications isn’t really an issue for us.

"It didn’t put us off in the slightest – we’ve learnt from experience that sometimes you need to give people a chance.

"We see people, we speak to them and make our own judgement.

"And we’re not just doing it for Ryan, we think he can contribute to our business.”

Ryan, who started at HPP last October and is based in the worktops warehouse, said: “I was desperate to find a job, so I’m buzzing now.

"I’m glad to get the opportunity, it’s hard to get a job when you have no GCSEs.

"Everything seems impossible.

"I saw a cleaning job and even they were asking for GCSEs.”

Ryan is being joined on his level two apprenticeship journey by 18-year-old Warren Booth, from Fitton Hill.

He first started at HPP on a government-funded, 8-week traineeship, through North Lancs Training Group, from which he has emerged with flying colours to land his apprenticeship.

He is part of a five-man team in HPP’s fittings warehouse, and said: “I’m glad the traineeship worked out.

"I really like working here.

"The team is brilliant, very friendly, we have a laugh, we get the work done quickly and efficiently.

"It’s really motivating to wake up to a job you like rather than a job you don’t like.”

Warren, who attended Oasis Academy, is full of praise for the traineeship scheme, which he applied for of his own accord after realising his bricklaying course at Oldham College was not for him.

"Within a week of applying I was working here," he added.

"It was very quick and very efficient.

"I’m hoping to come out of the apprenticeship with a good qualification in the future and have a better future progressing to more senior jobs at work.”

Both Ryan and Warren are following in the footsteps of former apprentice Ellie McCartney, who has just completed her Level 3 Business Administration qualification.

Ellie, from Chadderton, had been studying with Oldham College for 18 months following on her from her Level 2 qualification, which she put herself on and passed with a distinction/star at Tameside College, where she also passed her maths GCSE at the second attempt.

She said: “HPP has been really good to me.

"If I’ve needed any extra time to do college work, they’ve made sure they’ve catered for that.

"They’ve been the best company I could have asked for to do an apprenticeship with.

"I’d recommend an apprenticeship to anyone.”

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