My Apprenticeship Journey

Hello everyone, I’m Emily. I am a Team Assistant here at The Survey Initiative, and alongside this I am completing a Business Administration apprenticeship.

I left sixth form in summer 2022, after completing my A Levels in English Literature, Business Studies, and Law. I think it is fair to say that I did not have the smoothest of school experiences, especially towards the end of my school years, due to the disruption of Covid 19. I do believe that this disruption influenced the way in which I viewed my education, this therefore made me question my next steps. I went to sixth form with every intention of attending university to study business, however I soon realised I had outgrown classroom learning and I would be more suited to learning in a hands-on environment.

I started my apprenticeship in May 2023, and it has been an enjoyable and exciting journey so far. I always knew I wanted a career within the business sector, as this is what I enjoyed most at college and was recognised for being good at. The apprenticeship scheme has given me the opportunity to work amongst an experienced group of people whilst gaining new knowledge and experience. It has allowed me to kick start my career whilst learning along the way. I have never worked within an office environment before, so I was slightly anxious when I started, and being introduced to the apprenticeship was completely new also. However, as soon as I started, I felt at ease with both my role and the expectations of the apprenticeship. My colleagues have always been willing to help me which has allowed me to settle in quickly and become a valued member of the team.

So far, my team has allowed me to develop my skills and knowledge within both the business admin sector and employee research. My IT skills have already progressed massively from when I first started 3 months ago. On a day-to-day basis I am introduced into different areas of the company as I get to do a range of jobs to support my colleagues. With the experience and knowledge I am gaining, I am trusted to complete tasks independently which I enjoy as I like to figure things out for myself, this allows for me to progress in my apprenticeship program also.

I think within this role a skill that has become second nature to me is having good communication, a lot of the tasks the team and I do requires some form of communication. This could include verbal, emailing or speaking remotely. As I am still learning, communication is very important when discussing tasks with my colleagues to ensure I understand what is expected from the task and, if needed, asking for support. I think this role has also shown that I have a good attitude towards work and learning, I can confidently work on multiple tasks and take them in my stride. Through my apprenticeship it gives opportunities for my manager to reflect and give valuable feedback on the work I do complete. This overall allows me to reflect on my personal progress.

I would recommend an apprenticeship to anyone who is looking to gain experience, it is a perfect way to get your foot in the door. So far, my experience has been nothing but positive with the apprenticeship and hopefully this remains. I think it would be interesting to reflect on my experience at the end of the apprenticeship and evaluate my progress overall.