#ScotAppWeek21 - My Journey

Scottish Apprenticeship Week is always a week to celebrate both the benefits of the Apprenticeship Programme but also colleagues who have supported Apprentices through their career journey.

There are often multiple people involved in a Young Persons journey from school to the workplace, my story is no different…

When I left School (10 years ago!!) I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, I took a half-hearted ‘gap year’ which can only be described as a group of long weekend trips to Europe that I convinced myself were ‘experiences’ rather than just jolly-holidays. 

In school, I received the same support as any other pupil through Careers Advice, Guidance teachers etc but shortly after leaving school I was set a link by the School’s guidance teacher, Eilidh Christie for The City of Edinburgh Council’s Apprenticeship Programme.  After a bit of research I decided that I wanted to apply, if anything it would be an experience to do my first professional job application process.  If there is a late application…this was it.  Having no knowledge of how to apply, and failing to use MyJobScotland, I rocked up at Waverley Court with a CV in hand and was told the council process was online. With 2 hours to the application deadline, I nearly give up on my application. A quick hot step to the Edinburgh Skills Academy at St James Centre and some support to complete my application, my application was submitted at 4:10pm ahead of a 5pm closing time.

Somehow, after the quickest application, I managed to get myself selected for the assessment centre and then interview. I remember sitting in the interview room, being interviewed by Laura McIntyre and feeling 100% out of my depth. One question was ‘Why do you want to do an Apprenticeship’ and my answer was something like ‘I’m not very academic’, while my CV told a slightly different story.  Somehow, and I still question to this day, how I even got through the process and was one of three appointed candidates from 150 (!) applications.

I started my Apprenticeship on 3rd January 2012 within the Economic Development department. I remember my first day, arriving at Waverley Court in an oversized suit that I had bought specially for starting my new job, and a tie that was too long. I didn’t take off my jacket all day as I wanted to be ‘smart’, even sat at my desk - safe to say I become more relaxed as time went on and I dropped the tie after a few months.

The experiences and skills I was given during my apprenticeship stay with me to this day, whether it be the skills to work with senior managers or basic administration skills, knowledge of the employability sector or skills to plan and delivery multi-dimensional events and I am still learning to this day.

The ability to complete a Level 3 Apprenticeship with Rewards Training and develop the skills in the workplace was invaluable to my own development.

In 2014, I was fortunate to be appointed one of the city’s first Tom Buchanan Scholars alongside Paige Evans and Jemma Dommershuizen. Completing the Level 4 Business Administration SVQ is definitely one of the most complex but rewarding qualifications I have completed. The opportunity to develop skills in Audit, European Funding and Employer Engagement but also the discipline to collect evidence of learning and compile a portfolio of work provided me with a rounded experience and has set me on a future career whether that be longer term in the employability sector or out with.

After leaving City of Edinburgh Council in late 2016, I’ve been on a journey through different career areas. Some jobs have been successful, and others have really pushed my own development and the need to ‘fit in’. However, I have learned and continue to learn in each role I hold.

I have been exceptionally lucky to have some really supportive colleagues around me who have encouraged me to develop and push my own learning, those who have given me extra responsibility and those who have given the much needed reality check.

Anyone, whatever age, that is looking at completing an Apprenticeship I would definitely recommend it. It is different from University or College but is equally as rewarding and there are progression routes through industries and the introduction of Graduate Apprenticeships is a particular exciting step for the Apprenticeship Family.

This article was longer than I was planning but the benefits of the Apprenticeship programme are huge and I have had many key influences through my career that steered me towards success and further development.