Hannah received a Distinction grade in her
L4 Brewer End Point Assessment delivered by FDQ.
Hannah’s route to a brewing apprenticeship
Hannah’s family were all involved within the brewing industry. Four generations of relatives had roles being fitters, engineers and in area management. Hannah had always wanted to become the first brewer in her family. In 2019 Hannah decided to make that dream a reality. She began to look for a brewing apprenticeship. In perfect timing Hannah soon found an opportunity and began her apprenticeship with, Thwaites Brewery. A company that had previously employed Hannah’s great Aunt, from leaving school up until her retirement.
Since joining Thwaites, they’ve had nothing but great things to say about Hannah and her journey so far. Head Brewer of Thwaites, Mark O’Sullivan, said of her, ‘Hannah fitted in from the very start and showed great potential and passion for brewing’. Hannah has made a big impact working with Thwaites. As an apprentice brewer she worked closely with her mentor and friend,
experienced brewer, Glyn. With the 42 years of experience Glyn has in the brewing industry, they teamed up to develop a recipe which just recently went on sale. The Thwaites team say they are ‘extremely proud’ of what she’s achieved so far, praising her hard work and determination to succeed.
Preparing for end-point assessment
Whilst employed by Thwaites, Hannah began her Brewing apprenticeship, with HIT Training, in 2019. Hannah’s brewing apprenticeship involved a collaboration with International Centre for brewing Science, the University of Nottingham. Hannah attended 6 x 2-day workshops, once every 3
months, over an 18 month programme. It was there she developed her learning and met with people within the brewing industry. She met other brewing apprentices from big breweries, which helped her understand the wider brewing community. Hannah also took part in organised tours of different breweries to view their different setups.
The learning throughout her time at HIT Training meant she was able identify the areas she needed to work on in order to succeed in her EPA. With continuous support, it helped her further prepare for her End Point Assessment. As a result, Hannah felt her preparation was going well, she believed ‘getting stuck in’ to practical brewing activities was her own helpful way to prepare. This also helped improve her knowledge of brewing, ready for her Knowledge Test.
In the build up to her Level 4 Brewer EPA, Hannah said FDQ were very helpful. She said the FDQ Independent Examiner, Andrew Hamilton, was ‘very reassuring’, ‘calm’ and let her know how everything was going to run.
The determination to succeed was worth it in the end. Hannah went on to achieve a Distinction in her overall Brewer End Point Assessment. A proud and remarkable journey that was supported throughout by HIT Training and Thwaites.
A recommendation by Hannah before any EPA would be to ‘trust the work you put in’ prior to the assessment date.
Hannah’s future plans
Hannah wants to progress further and has enrolled on an online course in brewing. She’d therefore like to develop her skills and knowledge in the brewing industry. One day will look to a brewing diploma and continue to succeed with her employer.
Mark O’ Sullivan, Thwaites Brewery, with a few words about Hannah and the apprenticeship, -
'The team and I are extremely proud of what Hannah has achieved. She has worked hard over the past few years and truly deserves the fantastic distinction grade.'
‘Gaining hands on experience whilst studying is a huge benefit in brewing, I would recommend the apprenticeship scheme to anyone starting in the industry’ (Mark O’Sullivan)
Jeremy Scorer, HIT Training Ltd, said this of his apprentice, -
'Throughout her Apprenticeship, Hannah showed great passion for the subject and commitment towards her own personal development. Hannah applied her new knowledge to great effect at the Brewery and demonstrated good understanding at every workshop and tutorial.' (Jeremy Scorer)
To find out more about FDQ’s Level 4 Brewing end-point assessment see below,
Level 4 Brewer End-point Assessment: https://www.fdq.org.uk/l4brewer