Apprenticeships are government funded training programmes that combine job training with nationally recognised qualifications. It is an incredible opportunity to gain and develop skills, have a wide range of opportunities and you get paid whilst you learn!
I started my apprenticeship in Business Administration at an intermediate level in December 2015, after briefly starting my A levels. I have now been working at the University for just over ten months and it is safe to say that I have really enjoyed it. I have had the opportunity to move around different offices within the Faculty such as: finance, departmental offices, placements and marketing. By moving around, I have gained an understanding to how the Faculty links together and which offices integrate well with each other.
I have been able to increase and develop skills in daily administrative tasks such as recording customer information in Access for placement students and SAMIS for potential applicants, taking calls from students and academics, and providing accurate advice to problems that may occur in the workplace to my colleagues. I have been able to collate documents for reports, organise data and provide customer service to students.
My two greatest achievements, of which I am most proud of, is creating a social media training module and helping organise the Vice-Chancellor's visit to the Faculty. I made this learning tool for members of administrative staff who were uncomfortable or not confident with posting on social media. I planned and mind mapped what I wanted to include in the module on areas such as how to post on Facebook, how to effectively use Twitter, and tips on social media in general. I used software called Xerte and created different activities such as an annotated diagram, an interactive list and model answers with feedback.
For the Vice-Chancellor's visit I ordered the catering, sorted out the layout of the venue and informed colleagues of the plan of the day. I also had the chance to show the Vice-Chancellor my social media training module and she indicated that this was a good achievement.
I have been very fortunate as I have been offered to continue working at the University, doing an advanced apprenticeship, which means I will be able to study for an additional eighteen months. I hope to be able to continue providing support to my colleagues and gain more valuable experience.
