Icebergs and then... white

Getting to the South Pole was not straightforward. Patrick travelled first to Cambridge for two weeks of training that included familiarisation and First Aid, then endured a 36-hour journey via Sao Paulo and Santiago, which saw Patrick some seven hours away from basic hospital care should he have needed it. The last leg of the journey is etched in Patrick’s memory.

“It was incredibly exciting,” said Patrick, now 27. “As the Dash 7 plane neared Rothera station, I could see icebergs and then white. Everything was white - with a tiny bit of station and an airstrip.”

Patrick stayed at Rothera during the summer months so temperatures were a “mild” minus five degrees – a benefit of the dry cold air. But the rarified atmosphere also wiped out any sense of smell.

“When I sailed back via the Falklands on board the RRS Sir David Attenborough, the smell of vegetation was a real attack on the senses,” he said.

Interested in our apprenticeships?

Patrick is just one apprentice to carve out an extraordinary career, choosing the apprenticeship route to combine gaining a well-respected industry qualification with getting paid in a job you love.

Poppy O'Toole is another hugely successful former apprentice, going on to have over three million followers across platforms and over 400 million views across her channels. She has also cooked with Michel Roux Jr and co-hosts BBC Three’s Young MasterChef. 

But we don't only do cookery apprenticeships, not by a long shot. Our programmes go right up to postgraduate Level 7 in everything from nursing to business management.

Interested? Find out how we can work with your employer to get you upskilled in the perfect apprenticeship for you. 

Find out more