"Each day is a different day" - Freddie's Story
- Article
September 10, 2025
When Painting & Decorating Apprentice Freddie Batty joined Autism East Midlands, he had experienced a series of hardships with finding work. He shares why he decided to apply for an apprenticeship and how it's helped him so far.
Freddie Batty, who is 17 years old and autistic has recently joined Autism East Midlands as part of a Painting & Decorating Apprenticeship.
We spoke to him about his journey and what led him to wanting to work with us.
Hi Freddie! First of all, how are you finding your apprenticeship so far?
"I'm really enjoying it. Each day is a different day. Like every day is a different job!"
What made you want to apply for a Painting & Decorating Apprenticeship?
"I wanted something hands on. I didn't want to just sit in an office all day, I'd find that boring. So I wanted an apprenticeship where I could be actively working with my hands all day."
What experience did you have before your apprenticeship? Were there any struggles with finding work in the past?
"How much time do you have?" he laughs, "I had four different jobs last year. For one of them, the business got shut down. Another where I almost got the job but didn't. I was also laid off. And there was one where I was just standing in the cold all day..."
Now that you're with Autism East Midlands, you must find yourself working at a lot of our services sites. How are you finding that?
"I've been to South Lodge and Iedale, Whitegates, Fairview & Lynton and Sutherland House School so far. I've also been to the Training Centre and of course Head Office. I've been re-painting one of the offices at HQ today. Next week I'll be painting a service users' bedroom at South Lodge."
As someone who is autistic, can we ask if there are any particular challenges at work?
"You can ask but I don't know what to say about it," he laughs. "There are challenges but I try my hardest to avoid it. The team are supportive."
Would you say it feels different to a normal painting and decorating job?
"If you're not used to the environment, yeah. It's someone's home, and the service users are there while we're working. So it's different."
"Some of them talk to us, some of them don't. But it's nice to know we're helping other people."
Do you have a favourite site to work at?
"Probably the training centre, because there's always people around to talk to."
After the interview, Freddie started chatting with our Marketing Apprentice Jacob, who has also shared his story.
As an autism charity, our vision is for a world which recognises, understands and values autistic people. This is not just something that we support; it is something that we strive to embody within ourselves.
Every member of staff is trained to recognise how autistic traits can present in day-to-day life and be able to support the needs of both autistic service users and staff, but it is also essential that we continue to provide opportunities for autistic voices to shine within our organisation.
This is also a chance for us to make a real difference for young people who are just starting in the world of work, many of whom are experiencing those barriers for the first time that are making it difficult for them to find and maintain work, even though they have both the desire and potential to go far within their careers of choice.
Hannah Foulstone-Dalsgaard, Marketing Manager
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