It’s National Apprenticeship Week, a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the achievement of our apprentices and explore the value an apprenticeship can offer, both for the employee and employer. Today it’s all about Skills for Life, as we catch up with two of our current apprentices…
Can you tell us about your apprenticeship and role?
Jonny Judd: I’m currently on a Level 3 ICT Support apprenticeship but my formal job title at Mabey Hire is IT Infrastructure Technician. My college course has given me a really great foundation and hit all the key points, such as responding to tickets and support requests. Of course, it can’t teach me everything, as every company’s IT system will be slightly different and have its own unique nuances. That said, it’s given me a really strong foundation to be able to tackle problems with confidence.
Ben Smith: I work in the accounts team at Mabey Hire and am currently working through my Level 2 AAT qualification. It offers numerous different routes for progression, including working up to Level 4 or going to the chartered body for further qualifications.
I feel like both my apprenticeship course and my accounting role are complementing each other really well. I’m able to apply my learnings to my everyday work, while my work has provided me with added insight and context to my learnings. It’s a great opportunity to put the theory into practice.
Why did you choose to go down the apprenticeship route?
Jonny: I knew that I didn’t want to go to university, but I also knew that it would be beneficial to gain some form of qualification and work experience. After initially trying a Game Design course at college, this apprenticeship opportunity was presented to me and I decided to jump right in.
I wouldn’t have been able to be in this position and role without the apprenticeship, possessing no prior relevant experience. I find myself learning something new every day, but it equally doesn’t feel like I’m learning in the traditional sense – it’s not a chore, it’s just natural progression.
Ben: I’m similar to Jonny, I felt that ‘hands on’ learning within the working environment would offer me far greater value. Even if I had gone down the traditional university route, I don’t think I could have landed myself a career like this. It would have also been a big adjustment going from spending three years studying the theory to being thrown into full-time working and expected to immediately put the learnings into practice. Instead, I’m able to grow with the college course and the practical experience.
I’ve found the apprenticeship route has enabled me to pick things up a lot quicker. I don’t think I’d have been as comfortable or gained as much knowledge as I have, otherwise.
How do you feel an apprenticeship is helping to equip you with skills?
Jonny: I think the biggest skill I’ve learned is time management. My apprenticeship course has a minimum number of project hours required per week, but it’s up to me how and when I do those hours. It’s very independent from a time point of view and has given me the opportunity to experiment and discover what style of working is best for me.
The course has also really deepened my skills around IT systems. While technology and IT are developing all the time, it has given me the foundations of networking and an understanding of how IT systems are built up, meaning I can then apply this learning to other things that get thrown my way.
Ben: I’d definitely agree with Jonny on the time management and housekeeping side of things. I’ve been able to learn what works for me and have been able to adapt my approach to suit. The more you know yourself, the more productive you can be – I think this is a skill in itself.
From an accounting perspective, my course has helped to build my knowledge of double entry bookkeeping and given insight into what makes up the company accounts of a business, as an example. I’ve then been able to take these skills and develop them further at Mabey Hire, through working on month end reports, problem solving and manipulating data in ways I haven’t done before.
What is your proudest moment so far?
Jonny: This is actually a really good time to ask that question, as I submitted my final course project last week. It was the culmination of four weeks of independent work, where I had to choose a topic and demonstrate how I had met 12 different criteria.
It was definitely a challenge, and I’m relieved it’s completed.
Ben: I’m only halfway through my first year but would have to say my proudest moment has been my two sets of exam results. I achieved the top band (90-100%) each time, which I was really delighted with. Hopefully I can stay at that level throughout.
