Meet Jordan Bradley, from having no background in the bakery industry to now baking cakes as a hobby, he achieved everything and more in the space of a year.
Jordan's journey into baking industry
Throughout his school life and growing up, Jordan was unclear as to what he wanted to do with his career. Although it is now the focal point of his life, he certainly never imagined himself working in the baking industry. Even though uncertain, Jordan found himself working on the shop floor at Morrisons PLC for his first job after 5 months of unemployment. Within the time of him working this role, he’d noticed there were a mix of apprenticeships he could get involved in but wasn’t sure which would suit him best and didn’t, at the time, have the self-confidence to apply. Time passed and after 6 years of working on the shop floor, an apprenticeship position became available. Now eager to get involved, and without hesitation, Jordan submitted his application to become an apprentice baker.
Beginning of his apprenticeship journey
With a career in baking now in mind, and newly found motivation, Jordan felt a feeling of excitement, he’d found something to challenge himself and better yet, had a clear idea of what he wanted to do. He began his apprenticeship journey with his employer Morrisons PLC and Remit Training his Training Provider. Although a positive start, nine months into his apprenticeship and after 4 years on a waiting list, Jordan was hit with life changing news as he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. Being diagnosed helped Jordan understand himself and helped manage it much better.
Despite his strong mindset, Jordan was also struggling with short term memory loss, something he’s had to deal with for over 20 years. In 2002 Jordan had front temporal lobectomy, an operation that caused Jordan to live with epilepsy for almost 16 years, until becoming seizure free on medication. Despite something that would affect his everyday life, it didn’t sway Jordan away from his goal which was progressing with his vision to succeed in his bakery apprenticeship.
End-point Assessment
Despite his strong mindset, Jordan’s battles proved tough and although successful in two components of his EPA, Jordan failed his MCQ. However, that wasn’t the end of his journey and wasn’t going to stop there. Jordan now knew what he needed to work on, thanks to feedback from FDQ and with further support from his development coach at Remit. He spent hours at home proactively working on FDQ’s sample exam questions and support material. In conclusion of his second EPA, Jordan strived for success and success is what he received after an excellent EPA attempt and performance, FDQ provided Jordan with a Merit overall.
After receiving his certificate, Jordan said - “I thank FDQ for the support they gave me along the way, they were easy to speak to, easy to get hold of and whenever I had a question they would answer it”
Jordan’s future plans
Following his recent success, Jordan wishes to help more people with Asperger’s Syndrome to overcome challenges like the ones he’d faced during his apprenticeship. He said “I’ve never gave up at anything in life, I hope to inspire other people who have got my condition”. Jordan spends some of his time at an Asperger’s support group, where he wants to continue to help others. He also added “A lot don’t have jobs or even a driving license, some are living in poverty – I would love to help them all.” Jordans ambitions don’t end here however, he aims to progress further in the world of baking, whether it’s a another bakery qualification or growing his status at Morrisons.
When asked why he would suggest the baking industry to others, Jordan answers “I highly recommend it - it’s easy to get involved in and take interest. There’s so much support you can receive from books and just general practice” Also adding “I went from never baking a cake before in my life, to now baking as a hobby, it’s fun”.
Jordan mentions his Training Provider and Employer - “I've worked with Morrisons for almost 8 years in various departments, Remit were extremely helpful, they offered me additional support to help me through my qualification. After being diagnosed with short term memory loss and Asperger’s they gave me methods to stay on top of my work. I started with other apprentices to help keep track of where they were up to and what needed to be completed.”
From everyone at FDQ, we wish Jordan the very best of luck with his future and hope he continues to progress in the world of baking.
For more information on FDQ’s apprenticeships visit: https://www.fdq.org.uk/qualifications
For more information on FDQ’s End-point Assessments visit: https://www.fdq.org.uk/epa
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