Apprenticeships: A coming of age!

 

Back in 2012 the business growth for ONA was such that we took on Kyran, our apprentice. The concept worked well for where the business was currently at, at that time. It offered an opportunity for new blood to come into ONA, plus supported young talent in the I.T./Electrical marketplace.

I.T. is fairly unregulated [LACK of ACCREDITATION] and so at ONA

we try to stay one step ahead with training and development and

took the option to get Kyran onto an electrical course.

These things are always an experiment, but we are glad to say that our ‘apprentice has now come of age’, has completed his training and is now a qualified Electrician to 17^th addition, 3^rd amendment standard as well as having been trained on Data installation; fibre optic and copper. All we now have to do is pick up his certificates.

For ONA, we now have new talent within our team.

For us that means we can offer our clients a greater capacity for

our installation service, and can help with some of the additional

requirements that may have normally been subcontracted to

other suppliers. We can offer more of a service provision, by

simply using us as a One Stop Shop; one quote, one purchase

order, one contact.

The apprentice has now become the master!

We have extended the experiment and now have a new Kyran. Thomas has started with us and is now on a 3 year apprenticeship in Electrical and Data installation.

We wish him the very best for his future growth with ONA.

Maintaining connection with Dementia Friendly Cities

“The gift of the brain” says Professeur Florence Pasquier, “is something to be cherished!”

On day five of our A Meeting of ‘MINDS’ motorbike tour, we were very pleased to meet and interview Professeur Florence Pasquier. One of a dedicated team based in Lille (France) and working towards a greater understanding of and a future cure for Alzheimer’s. She works in one of 30 centres in the north of France, all very collaborative and motivated towards achieving their end goal.

All of the people we have been lucky to meet and interview have all confirmed that Alzheimer’s is an extremely difficult condition to research, especially compared to many other conditions/ illnesses.
Prof. Pasquier is a very humble clinician based in the Neurology Dept of the Hospitalier Regionale et Universitaire de Lille (CHRU). The facility not only researches the condition, they also directly treats out patients, which creates an opportunity to see theory and practical expertise coexisting. She was keen to point out that the environment of Clinicians and Researchers works extremely well. She kindly shared her thoughts for the future and her grand vision for Dementia Friendly Cities, where dementia sufferers can co-exist in an all inclusive environment.

Prof. Pasquier highlighted a need for society to have a greater understanding through education. This of course is no cure, but the condition is very much with us and is a growing economic and social issue. A general understanding of the condition, even on a very limited basis, will help the carers and suffers within the world they currently find themselves in.  Her vision is shared by many of her team and community peers.  

What we need to consider is to spend less on care, but involve the community and then reallocate the funds into more research - “Better to find a vaccine than build more sanitariums!” Her vision is someway off from being completed, but her conviction to achieve this is undaunting and is infectious, as others take on the mantle of creating an Alzheimer’s free world.

Unlike the UK, where the government partially funds research and the rest is created by organisations such as BRACE (BRACE– Funding Research into Dementia http://www.alzheimers-brace.org/), research in France is totally created by the ‘public purse’ through standard government taxation. So for the UK it is essential that organisations such as BRACE are fully supported by the general public. As you may not know, for every £10 spent on dementia health and social care only £0.08 is spent on research.

 

A Meeting of 'MINDS' Charity Motorbike Tour



A Meeting of 'MINDS' - Une Reunion de la Tour 'MINDS' -  Alla riunione della tour in moto 'MENTI'



The Start

The Brain Bank - Bristol

School of Psychology Cardiff

Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute
Kings College London

Dover en route de Frances



Professeur Florence Pasquier Centre Hospitalier Regionale et Universitaire de Lille

Research, cuttlefish, saddle time and nuns!

We have met someone, who knows someone, who researchers cuttlefish! I, in fact find cuttlefish very interesting. 

So the tour has started, and we have interviewed a number of key Professors who are researching Alzheimer’s/ Dementia. Their research leads them to look for a cure or an opportunity to alleviate the condition in the sufferer and provide ‘life longevity'. Alzheimer’s is not always a killer, but it can lead to life’s final conclusion, through other medical conditions. In the main, to understand the condition, researchers are on a long road to reach their  HOLY GRAIL.

There have been developments in understanding, and with understanding you can provide a remedy. In the main, there is still a long way to go as research takes a long time. The process and protocols that ensure safety in a medicines final use, means that those researching this condition have to have patience and are extremely motivated to maintain their grand vision.

There is a hierarchy in medical conditions, and we can all probably name other illnesses that are much higher in our consciousness. Currently Alzheimer’s has taken a step forward in being more understood by the research community and by the wider public. There is a long way to go, but it is more embedded in everyone’s mind. This is the start of a good thing.

BRACE, the charity that the tour is supporting, endeavours to not only help raise awareness but also create funds that are then used by these researchers to do their work. Without organisations like BRACE there is a reduction in the level of research. There is also a need to encourage more keen professionals in this research area, as without new blood the potential opportunity for a solution may take even longer to obtain. 

What has also struck me, is that those that are researching are like me. They have been directly touched by the condition; a family member or friend. It is quite true that this has led them to utilise  their skills and knowledge to use for the good to combat this condition.

The research is diverse, and although you may think this condition is cerebral, you also need to suspend belief and think about cholesterol, fat deposits, and expanding waistlines as research is being conducted to into whether there is a direct correlation between these factors.  

This may all seem dower, but in truth there is a very positive atmosphere within the community in search for the cure, and to create an understanding of the condition.

We have started the production of our video bank of interviews and BRACE will be able to use these in their efforts to build awareness and create funding opportunities for the future. We are onto the next part of our European leg of this tour, and we feel sure that this will provide even more insight with a Soupcon of Gallic flavour!

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BRISTOL BIKER TOURS EUROPE ON DEMENTIA RESEARCH MISSION

BRACE - Funding Research into Dementia (PRESS RELEASE)

A MOTORCYCLE-mad Bristol man is touring Europe meeting leading dementia scientists to raise awareness of the disease.

Roy Adair, from Westbury on Trym, will be covering more than 2,000 miles in 11 days, spending up to 50 hours in the saddle as he visits the continent’s leading research centres.

Roy will be raising awareness for Bristol-based dementia research charity BRACE.

The Meeting of 'Minds’ Charity Motorcycle Tour begins today (September 3) at Southmead Hospital where Roy will interview BRACE-backed research scientist Professor Pat Kehoe.

Roy explained the motivation behind the tour: “My own family has been affected by dementia and I wanted to do something that would raise the profile of the illness and show people that supporting research is so important.”

“As I tour Europe I’ll be interviewing Professors and Doctors in the UK, France and Italy about their vital work. Dementia is such a cruel illness and people can feel disempowered – research work brings hope.”

“I’ll be videoing these meetings and then sharing online so people can follow my adventure and get inspired.”

Roy, whose company Open Network Associates, has chosen BRACE as its official charity, will be joined by right hand man (and motorbike newcomer) Martyn Hopkins riding pillion on the adventure.

After starting at Southmead Hospital Roy will hit the road and meet: Doctor Claudia Metzler-Baddeley – Neuroscientist at CUBRIC (Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre)Professor Clive Ballard – Professor of Age Related Diseases King’s College London Professeur Florence Pasquier – Professseur CHRU Centre Hospitalier Regional Universitaire de Lille
Doctor Flavio Nobili Clinica Neurologica con Centro Ictus Genoa 
Professeur Jacques Touchon - Chief of Neurology at the Montpellier University Research Hospital.

Mark Poarch, Chief Executive of BRACE, wished Roy and Martyn all the best on their two-wheeled research odyssey.

He said: “This is a wonderful and truly original idea and I’m sure the interviews will provide us with some useful and revealing information about the state of dementia research across the continent.

“Funding high quality scientific research is absolutely essential in the fight for treatments, and hopefully a cure, for dementia and this epic motorcycle ride will draw people’s attention to that fact.”

If you would like to support the BRACE, you can click onto the following link BRACE.

You can also follow Roy’s adventures via IT-Cabling BlogSpot, Twitter @royadair or LinkedIn Roy Adair

BRACE supports a number of research teams in Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire (UWE), Devon and South Wales.

Dementia affects 1 in 20 of the over 65s and 1 in 5 of the over 80s but it should not be thought of as a normal part of ageing.