Esher Sixth Form college talks to Alumna Tania Curtis about her apprenticeship journey at BP

Tell us about your education journey?

"At Esher College (2016 - 2018) I studied Maths, Art and Business which some people see as a weird combination, but in Business it helps to be creative and analytical. For some reason I never really wanted to go to University, maybe because I heard so many stories of people graduating and still not being competitive in the job market so I didn’t see the point of all the debt. I started to look around for other options and found out about Degree Apprenticeships."

Tell us about your Apprenticeship journey with BP?

"Jump forward two years and I’m working as a HR Degree Apprentice. I work four days in the office, and go to University the other day, completing a BA (Hons) Business Studies Degree. At the end of the four year scheme I will also become a Chartered Manager, and will have rotated around 5 different jobs in HR gaining amazing experience."

"My job right now is ‘Global Process Owner for Early Careers Talent Acquisition’ (big companies love complex titles). It basically means I decide how to hire grads, interns and apprentices around the world- how we should assess them, what we look for, best ways of hiring, training recruiters and more. This is a huge responsibility at my age, and not something I think I would be able to do with as little experience elsewhere. Before my apprenticeship I didn’t have much work experience, it’s amazing how BP take a chance on you and let you show what you’re capable of."

My days are mainly spent in meetings with recruiters in the US, Singapore, Australia and various other regions. We talk through any issues then I figure out ways to solve them. I also create training and documentation on the process, allowing me to be more creative and design documents how I want.

What are the pros of an Apprenticeship route?

"There are so many positives I could write pages! When I first heard about degree apprenticeships, I actually thought they were too good to be true and there must be a catch, I guess hard work is the only catch. I get a degree all paid for, a generous salary, work experience, a degree, and I will become a certified chartered manager which really helps you stand out in interviews. It’s great having a balanced week by going to University one day, using different parts of my brain and keeping the week interesting. I haven’t sacrificed much of the typical University experience as I can join any Uni society, tours, events etc so can still experience that part of life. I also have a great work life with so many events such as rock climbing, ice bars, summer ball, pub quizzes, and so much more!"

What Advice would you give to your 17 year old self?

"The advice I would give my 17 year old self is probably to prepare more for interviews. I’ve always been more of a go with the flow person, which is good in interviews to stay calm and not stress too much, but I definitely think I could have prepared more. In my BP interview I was meant to give a 5 minute presentation, and it ended up being less than 1 minute, which doesn’t seem like a good impression. I did my surface level research but I think it’s important to dig deep, find little things out about the company that show you’re interested, message someone who works their on LinkedIn, read news articles, research the leadership team, the company strategy and future goals. Just going onto their company homepage isn’t enough to wow people at interviews."