Leeds Rhinos athletes build careers in tech while balancing rugby league training

Inspired by the mindset which athletes have, which drive them to succeed, Redcentric has developed a close partnership with Leeds Rhinos and Leeds City College to offer an apprenticeship scheme to athletes who want to begin a career in tech sales.

Last week we welcomed two new apprentices to Redcentric and found out about how it’s possible to combine work, rugby league training, and study.

 

Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Leeds Rhinos Head of Culture, Diversity and Inclusivity and former Rugby Super League coach and professional player

‘Academic studies within sport have shown that athletes who combine further education and apprenticeships with a career in professional sport, play for longer and at a higher level.

We, at the Leeds Rhinos want all our athletes to reach their potential both on and off the field of play, to enhance their playing career and life after sport.

In the same way that the drive and work ethic of employees rooted in sport gives those individuals the mindset needed to succeed in business, we also believe that the skills required for business professionals supplement the focus and application needed by athletes to be the best version of themselves on the field.

There are clear synergies in terms of the mindset required to be successful within both sport and business, that drives success.‘

 

Here’s how it’s been going for our Redcentric apprentices so far.

 

Zach McSwiney, Redcentric apprentice, Leeds Rhinos athlete

‘I train on a Tuesday and Thursday evening but matches fall at the weekend, so on a training day, I leave Harrogate at 2pm to get to training in Kirkstall, Leeds by 4pm. When I am established in the role, I’ll be able to work from home on at least one of the training days, so it’ll be much easier to get to training. But for the moment, I’ve got plenty of time to travel so I can arrive in good time.‘

 

 

 

Caitlin Beevers, Redcentric apprentice, Leeds Rhinos athlete

‘When I’m training, I leave at 3pm to get to Kirkstall at 6pm. As the roads are getting busier around rush hour, I’ve been given extra time to get there from Harrogate. It’s great that the team here are taking travel stress into consideration, because they’ve allowed us time to get to training without feeling stressed, even at busy times.‘

 

 

 

We also spoke to Oliver Brady, Team Lead, about how Zach and Caitlin were settling in.

 

Oliver Brady, Lead Generation Team Lead, Redcentric

‘In their first week, Zach and Caitlin have already taken on a central role in helping us to prepare for our first customer event of the summer. They’ve been helping us to drive attendance ready for the event next month.

Both have shown a great attitude in their new roles whether that’s been learning new technologies and processes or meeting new colleagues across the business. They’ve been great ambassadors for the Rhinos in what is a whole new situation for them working in a new industry.’

 

Find out more about our apprenticeship scheme on our Careers site.