Apprenticeships… the recognition they deserve!

I've been thinking about writing a post on apprenticeships for some time now, and as it's #NationalApprenticeshipWeek , I've decided that there's no better time than the present!

Why is this important to me? Well, I've been an apprentice and have shouted about the benefits of apprenticeship schemes for many years. As well as the individual benefits which I'll go into in this post, they also promote social mobility and are proven to increase productivity within teams.

But for some reason, there's still stigma that surrounds them, and it's about time that changes!

"Why would you choose an apprenticeship?"

This is a question I was frequently asked.

When I first decided to consider an apprenticeship, there were people who thought it would be a fantastic way to gain qualifications and training, whilst learning on the job and getting paid. There were also a number of people who were against it. These people suggested that without a university degree, I'd fall behind my peers and forever more be paid less due to being under-qualified (FYI this is not true).

There were also conversations about gaining independence and 'real life' experience at university, which I wouldn't get through an apprenticeship scheme.

But I wanted to jump into the deep end and make a start on my career. I also wasn't ready to give up learning. The option of studying whilst being in an authentic work environment seemed like a great choice for me.

I went for it. I started my career as an apprentice at NG Bailey, choosing to launch my career as one of the world's first Bid and Proposal Apprentices (that's right, one of the few people who didn't just fall into this profession!)

??There are so many apprenticeships out there, and my top tip when choosing one that's right for you is to really consider the skills involved and if they align to what you think you're good at and enjoy. I'd also say that interviews are crucial to deciding your perfect fit - not every organisation or team will feel right!

"What do you actually gain from being an apprentice?"

At 6am, my alarm would go off. I'd get ready for work and commute for an hour and a half into the London office. A usual day would involve a number of tasks, reviewing client documents, learning how to create proposals (thanks to the wonderful Hannah McCarthy and Frankie Rolfe ), navigating the company's intranet for information, and shadowing in meetings. I'd also schedule time to study and catch up with my fellow apprentices (shout out to Victoria Coleman CF APMP who was with me from day one!)

Just before noon, an influx of notifications would appear on my phone... of course, it's just my friends waking up! I'd hear about their relaxed weekday mornings, the nights out planned for the week, and their thoughts on skipping a rubbish lecture they had (don't worry, I won't tag you lot...)

Now I know it wasn't all smooth sailing for them, but they did like to remind me that I'd been up for 5 hours when they had just woken up.

I may not have moved out yet, had to commit to lectures or experienced the frustration of staying up until 3am to perfect an assignment or study for an exam, but I was definitely gaining my own version of 'real life' experience in the world of work. I had my own deadlines, my apprenticeship assignments and had to develop my communication skills whilst navigating a professional environment.

But I enjoyed being an apprentice. It gave me exposure to so many parts of the business, the opportunity to see brilliant people at work and the opportunity to prove myself as someone with potential. Having the ability to gain a qualification at the same time also meant I was getting the best of both worlds - learning best practice and having the perfect opportunity to put the skills I'd learnt into action!

?? Always remember that independence falls into many different categories, and for me, independence at that time was learning skills and techniques that would hopefully be the foundations of my career.

"So, now what?"

I believe that my apprenticeship gave me a fantastic start to my career.

On occasion it's been belittled or undermined by people who don't quite understand what apprenticeships are really about, but I will forever be grateful that I was given the opportunity to choose this route (thanks to Amanda Nuttall CPP APMP and Kelly Tedesco !)

Surveys have shown that apprenticeships are still stigmatised and schools, careers advisors and organisations should be making more effort to promote this alternative way of accessing higher education, whilst gaining valuable work experience.

Now this doesn't mean I don't think that choosing another route for your career or going to university doesn't have it's benefits - it definitely does - and I have friends who are absolutely smashing their careers following their degree or having delved straight into working life.

If you are considering going to university, college, full-time employment or anything else, then just remember there are so many pathways to develop your career... you just need to find the one that's right for you.

And for anyone who is eager to delve into the world of work whilst gaining further qualifications, an apprenticeship truly is the ideal solution!?

?? If you're considering an apprenticeship, I'd advise you to find out what's out there, think about what you could see yourself enjoying, and most importantly, ask lots of questions!

Further resources

As a subject close to my heart, I wanted to share some final resources on apprenticeships and my own experiences that may be of use:

• To search for apprenticeships, browse the most common recruitment sites or visit the Gov website .
• The Bid and Proposal apprenticeship scheme, developed by APMP UK has gone on to be incredibly successful, and if anyone would like to know more about it, please just let me know. You can also check out the Institute for Apprenticeships or APMP's website !
• Ashurst run a number of apprenticeship, graduate and school schemes in law as well as business services (find out more about Ashurst's student and graduate careers) .
• NG Bailey still run many fantastic apprenticeships including the Bid and Proposal Coordinator scheme and brand new IT Services apprenticeships launched this year (find out more about NG Bai ley's apprenticeships) .

As always, please let me know if you have any questions, and I'd love to know your thoughts!