What advice would you give a young person considering an apprenticeship?
The advice that I would give would be to keep your eyes out for opportunities. An apprenticeship essentially bridges the gap between university and full-time employment as you get the best of both worlds. Collecting practical skills whilst also developing your theoretical knowledge has massive benefits moving forward which can put you ahead of the game and can help you progress up the ladder in the future.
Tell us about yourself?
Hi! my name is Bilal Ahmed, I’m 19 years old and work as a Business Administration Apprentice. I knew I wanted to take on an apprenticeship because of the wide range of benefits it provides. Within the first weeks of joining the company, I can safely say I’m delighted I took this opportunity as it has allowed me to focus on my goals and aspirations for the future. Outside of my apprenticeship, I attend boxing lessons weekly and play video games with family and friends which I dearly enjoy. My interests include finance and sports as you can see, and this apprenticeship has really opened a lot of doors for me.
How was your first day?
For someone who’s an enthusiast, I found the first day to be very interesting and was mind blown once I saw how respectful everyone was towards me within the working environment. During the first day, I was given a tour of the office space and introduced to my team who were super friendly and then I was tasked with completing the mandatory training which helped me get into the swing of things straight away. I made sure I was a good communicator and worked hard to give a good first impression which helped me boost my confidence as I felt as if I was part of the team.
Why did I choose an apprenticeship?
I chose to do an apprenticeship as it has a variety of benefits which don’t get spoken about. These include gaining practical skills and theoretical knowledge which can go hand in hand when working on certain tasks. Companies pay for your qualification which leaves you debt free and will give you the freedom to stay at the company when completing the apprenticeship. This is great as it helps with networking within the company, and no longer going through any more scary interviews which is very convenient.