Student Spotlight: Meet Darral, a Level 7 Leadership Apprentice at University Centre Rotherham
Faces of University Centre Rotherham:
Darral Taylor, Level 7 Senior Leader Apprenticeship
For Darral Taylor, leadership has never been about standing still.
Having built a successful career spanning retail, the NHS and adult social care, the 45-year-old executive group director is proof that it’s never too late to embrace a new challenge.
More than a decade after making the leap into social care, Darral is now responsible for overseeing four businesses and twelve services at Lotus Home Care.
Despite already holding a senior executive position, he believes learning should never stop. That’s why he’s studying the level 7 senior leader apprenticeship through University Centre Rotherham to strengthen his strategic leadership skills and prepare the organisation for future growth.
From retail management to executive leadership
Darral’s leadership journey began much earlier than most.
After leaving school, he quickly progressed into management with Tesco aged 19 before moving into the NHS, where he spent around ten years managing catering and retail services across several hospitals in Yorkshire.
Although he enjoyed the role, he eventually felt he’d reached a ceiling.
“I got to the point where I thought, if I stay here, this is probably as far as I’m going to go unless I completely retrain,” Darral says.
After a period back in retail working with B&Q’s homeware team, redundancy led to an unexpected opportunity to help with recruitment at a social care provider that changed everything.
What began as a short-term role soon turned into an offer to become a complex needs care manager despite him having no previous experience in adult social care.
Rather than seeing it as a risk, Darral saw it as a fresh opportunity.
“It was a massive step because that was well out of my comfort zone. But I thought, what have I got to lose? I’d built a career already, but I was only in my early 30s so still had a long working life ahead of me. It was my chance to retrain, gain new skills and move forward in a different sector.”
That decision transformed his career.
Within a few years, he was headhunted by his current employer to be deputy manager, helping to grow the organisation from a single branch into a network of twelve services. Today, as executive group director, he oversees multiple businesses, including home care services, a care home, a training school and several new commercial ventures.
Developing strategic leadership
Although Darral has spent years leading teams and growing organisations, he wanted to strengthen his strategic leadership skills.
That’s what led him to the level 7 senior leader apprenticeship with RNN Group. He’d already done ILM diplomas in leadership and management at levels 3 and 5, as well as specific courses in health and social care, but he recognised the need to keep developing.
“Managing people is one thing, but leading an organisation strategically is completely different. This course gives you the knowledge and confidence to do that.”
As one of our employer partners, Lotus Home Care already worked closely with RNN Group to train their apprentices, so Darral knew he’d be in good hands when doing his own training.
Only six months into the programme, Darral says it has already changed the way he approaches leadership.
One of his biggest achievements so far has been rewriting his organisation’s five-year business strategy using the knowledge gained through the course.
“It’s made me think differently. Instead of accepting how things have always been done, I’m looking at how we can drive change and prepare for the future.”
He credits modules around strategic planning, critical analysis and business evaluation with helping him challenge existing ways of working and develop a clearer long-term vision for the organisation.
Balancing work and study
Everyone thinks apprenticeships are just for school leavers or those in the early stages of their career, but they can also be a valuable training tool for long-term employees too, regardless of their career stage.
However, Darral admits balancing executive responsibilities with a Level 7 apprenticeship isn’t always easy.
Although the apprenticeship only requires learners to be on campus at University Centre Rotherham once a month, there are over 500 off-the-job hours that need to be completed and evidence before the End Point Assessment.
Darral says he sets aside protected study time every week to make sure he keeps on top of assignments and research. He is grateful to have a supportive board of directors who understand the need for him to do at least six off-the-job hours each week.
“If you’re not organised, it’s really easy to fall behind and that’s when the stress is going to hit you. Structure is everything.”
Having not been in formal education since he was 17, he also praises the support available from tutors, describing the teaching as engaging, practical and directly relevant to his role.
“The tutors are fantastic. They’re approachable, supportive and really passionate about what they teach. The sessions are practical, interactive and never feel like you’re just being talked at.”
Studying alongside professionals from a range of industries has also been an insightful part of the experience. The cohort includes leaders from various sectors, including health and social care, construction and education. Darral is also joined on the course by some of his colleagues and says that peer-to-peer support has also been invaluable.
“Everyone brings different perspectives. You learn just as much from each other as you do from the course.”
In recognition of his attitude towards professional growth and dedication to his studies, Darral was recently named our apprentice of the month for June 2026. His tutors commended him for not only submitting high quality work and welcoming constructive feedback, but also being an invaluable mentor to his peers by stepping up to support and guide fellow learners who are struggling with the programme.
Putting learning into practice
One of the biggest advantages of studying while working is being able to apply new knowledge immediately by critically evaluating business performance and leading organisational change more confidently.
Darral has already introduced changes across his organisation, including redesigning staff appraisals, professional development plans and career progression pathways to place a greater emphasis on developing future leaders.
“The apprenticeship hasn’t just changed me; it’s changing the way we develop other people too.”
For Darral, leadership isn’t about creating dependency. Instead, it’s about building confidence and giving people ownership.
“A good leader gives people accountability, autonomy and trust. I’m not here to solve every problem for someone else. I’m here to coach them so they can solve it themselves.”
Looking ahead
With responsibility for leading several businesses, Darral says he has no plans to slow down once he’s completed his apprenticeship in the next 12 to 18 months.
Instead, his focus is on driving innovation, strengthening leadership across the organisation and continuing to improve the quality of care they provide.
He hopes the knowledge gained through the apprenticeship will leave a lasting impact, not only on the organisation but on the people working within it.
“Knowledge is power. If we keep investing in people and helping them develop, everybody benefits.”
Darral’s advice for future Level 7 apprentices
For anyone considering a higher-level apprenticeship, Darral has one piece of advice above all else: Be prepared.
“Research the course properly, make sure you’ve got the time to commit to it, and put a structure in place before you start. If you’re organised and you’ve got support from your employer, you’ll get so much out of it.”