Upskilling | 76-year-old shows apprenticeships are ageless

At the age of 76, Bedfordshire-based ticket inspector Bob Bryce is challenging the preconceptions of career progression and development by becoming one of the UK’s oldest workplace apprentices – more than 60 years after first leaving education.

Currently a Team Leader on the Govia Thameslink Railway, Bryce recently undertook a level 3 supervisor apprenticeship – an industry-specific qualification that is the equivalent of an A-level, more than 20 years after first joining the company back in 1999.

Bryce is a shining example of the effect that purpose and support can have on a career, regardless of age or seniority. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had, which is why I want to keep working as long as possible,” he recently told The Times.

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“I’m on the home straight now with just one exam left to go. I think I must be the oldest apprentice in the UK. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn new things at my age,” he added.