The Guinness Partnership celebrates success of Oldham apprentice

The Guinness Partnership - one of England’s largest housing associations - is celebrating its apprenticeship programme and the value it brings to local communities.

This year is the 19th annual National Apprenticeship Week, coordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service.   

The week-long celebration, which runs from February 9-15, across the country, is a time to recognise and applaud apprenticeship success stories across the country.   

Holly Kershaw from Oldham has been a Lettings Officer with Guinness since 2023 and is doing a CIH Level 3 apprenticeship in Housing and Property Management.  

She carries out a variety of tasks including the allocation of Guinness homes, working with the local authority to source tenants, complete applications, and organise signups.  

Holly also manages the support provided to help tenants who want to move to a smaller home – freeing up more larger homes for families who need them. 

As well as workplace training with Guinness, Holly also completes coursework and is assessed on her progress by training provider, Kingdom Academy. 

The Guinness Partnership has invested in apprenticeships for several years, covering a variety of roles from office-based roles in HR and finance to resident-facing roles and trades.  

Guinness also offers apprenticeships to help colleagues gain relevant technical or professional qualifications.  

Over the last 12 months, 37 colleagues have completed an apprenticeship supported by Guinness. 

Commenting on her career choice, Holly said: “I really enjoy being an apprentice and have learned a lot about the process involved in allocating homes.  

“I have also enjoyed meeting and interacting with other learners from across the country, while studying on the CIH Level 3 programme. I would say to anyone considering doing an apprenticeship themselves – go for it! You won’t regret it.” 

Sasha Theophanous, Learning & Development Manager at The Guinness Partnership said: “Providing apprenticeship opportunities is a key way of promoting skills development and increasing diversity across the construction and housing sectors.   

“We are extremely proud of Holly and the progress she has made with her apprenticeship course.  She is an inspiration to anyone considering a professional career.”  

Apprenticeships in figures 

• 95 apprentices are working across Guinness including in roles including sustainability, accountancy as well as horticulture (Estates) and various trades roles. 

• 61 colleagues are using the Government’s Apprenticeship Levy to upskill themselves in their current roles. 

• 26 colleagues have enrolled onto an apprenticeship programme via the Levy since April 2025. 

The Guinness Partnership was founded over 135 years ago and is one of the largest affordable housing providers in England. Guinness is committed to improving people’s lives by providing as many high-quality affordable homes as possible, and the housing services that residents most need. It has more than 160,000 residents across the country, living in more than 70,000 homes.