DCG Success Stories

Gaining work experience at Vaillant while studying at Derby College Group led to a full time job and degree apprenticeship for former T Level student Grace.

Grace is a junior project manager with the Belper based heating systems business and will shortly finish the first year of a level 6 chartered manager degree. And, at age 20, she is the youngest person on her degree apprenticeship at Stoke University.

Grace, whose office-based role involves supporting internal projects across Vaillant’s business, said: “I’m so glad I took the management and administration T Level as it included my placement at Vaillant. I was part of the first cohort to do it.

“If I’d not done T Levels and taken a different route, I’d probably be just starting university now and I wouldn’t have this job. As it is, my degree apprenticeship is funded and I get to spend 20% of my working day on it.”

In order to supply the new skills needed to support decarbonisation, Vaillant and DCG recently established a strategic partnership.

The company has invested in 10 full-time, employed low carbon heating technician apprentices, supporting the UK government to meet its  targets of installing 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028.

Grace added: “Vaillant and the College have strong links and not just on the heating technician side. There are other T Level students from Derby College in the company in areas such as digital and manufacturing.

“I chose my T Level because management is quite a broadly based subject. I liked the projects part and the placement, where I had the chance to experience different departments and aspects of the business.

“I was offered my permanent job before I knew my T Level results.”