Sania Rashid – My Journey as a Blind Apprentice

We caught up with Sania Rashid, who was part of the first cohort of Customer Service Apprentices that the Co-op recruited with us back in 2020. Sania, who has been blind since birth, talks to us about her experience of undertaking an apprenticeship with us and how she has been able to start a fulfilling career with the Co-op.

What made you decide to do an apprenticeship?
I didn’t need any experience to start this role, I could completely learn on the job. I wasn’t employed prior to this role, so I thought it would be the best route to go down for me so that I can get experience at the same time as doing the job.

The customer service apprenticeship appealed to me not only for these reasons, but it sounded great as a starting point and meant I could speak to lots of different people day-to-day through my customer service responsibilities. I currently work in the Food & Membership department, dealing with complaints, updating details, and assisting customers if they are having issues accessing special offers and such. There is scope for me to move to other departments which I hope to do, to be able to expand my skills and knowledge.

How was the recruitment process and starting the apprenticeship for you?
Starting the apprenticeship was straightforward. My interview and enrolment took place over a telephone call with colleagues at the College and my soon to be colleagues at the Co-op. Within the first couple of weeks, my workbooks were sent to me in an accessible format.

It was quite daunting going straight from not being employed into full-time work, but I was glad to finally be able to have a job!

What adjustments have been made for you as a blind colleague?
Adjustments have been made for me so that I can be successful in my role. For emails and calls, I use a screen reader. The college would make sure I had regular one-to-ones and would ask me if I needed anything extra. My Assessor was Roxanne, and I knew that I could contact her at any stage if anything needed adjusting or making more accessible.

For the End-Point Assessment, the College made this as smooth as possible for me. I was in the office being observed on the phone with customers, and then I had a Teams interview which was a professional discussion, where they were sure to make any reasonable adjustments needed for me to be able to complete it with no problems.

How did it feel to pass your apprenticeship?
It was great when I passed my apprenticeship, got my certificate and was able to show that I had my qualification. It felt great, and now I know I have my certificate to help me with future opportunities.

If you would like to learn more about any additional support we can offer during an apprenticeship programme, speak to the team by calling 0161 631 5555 or emailing
apprenticeships@salfordcc.ac.uk.