St John Bosco Arts College fund £30k for inspiring employee’s higher education training

In March 2021, St John Bosco Arts College in Croxteth funded the tuition for a higher-level degree apprenticeship for Shima Ami, one of its employees. This support enabled Shima to pursue his dreams and achieve his ambitions, ultimately allowing him to transition from employee to employer by starting his own business.

Shima, who joined the Salesian school in 2016, worked as the community lettings manager for eight years. He has been described as a dedicated and remarkable individual, often working unsociable hours.

As a community lettings manager, Shima was responsible for coordinating bookings for the sports facilities, situated at the back of the school, including the 3G football pitches. He liaised with customers, including other schools to organise the usage of the facilities for training, competitions and more.

Before joining St John Bosco Arts College, he began his career as an apprentice sports coach at a primary school. He then travelled to America where he worked as a general counsellor and football coach at summer camps. After returning to the UK, Shima enrolled at Bournemouth University where he studied sports psychology and coaching.

At 19, Shima’s interest in business was sparked by a friend who shared an aspiration to run their own coaching business.

During his time at Bosco, senior leaders noticed Shima’s hard work, dedication and potential. The school decided to fund Shima’s study to further his professional development, and in March 2021, contributed a substantial £30k towards his higher-level apprenticeship.

Commenting on how much he enjoyed his job at St John Bosco, he said: “I loved the job. I was working in the football industry, which I am very passionate about, and I had a great connection with customers due to our shared mentality and passion.

“Each day was different, and I had the opportunity to meet many interesting people within the grassroots football community.”

Since March in 2024, Shima has been running the entire lettings facility at St John Bosco under his own company, Community Lettings Management Company Ltd, having transitioned from employee to employer. His success has also expanded beyond Bosco, recently securing a contract to manage another facility at a different secondary school.

Shima shared that his achievements at St John Bosco inspired him to pursue his ambition of owning his own business, saying: “The school, customers, and other stakeholders were pleased with my contributions which further motivated me to pursue this new path.”

Commenting further on being his own boss, he said: “It means everything to me. The day I became my own boss, I achieved my biggest goal in life. It was a surreal feeling that is only just starting to sink in, but I am never content; I always strive for bigger, better, and more. I’m working harder now than I ever have, and the motivation that comes from doing it for myself is endless.”

Business manager at St John Bosco Arts College, Stephen Johnson, said: “Shima is an incredible individual who continuously went above and beyond, for the school and the community.

“Shima’s potential really shone through, and it didn’t go unnoticed. We were invested in Shima’s journey, and we were delighted to fund his studies to further his development.”

Stephen added: “At Bosco, we are committed to supporting the development of our people, whether that be through further studies or continuous professional development (CPD). We believe in investing time, money and resources into development and training.”