Developing careers: choosing a higher level apprenticeship
Apprenticeships are not just for school leavers: they can be a really useful way to advance your career without taking a career break. Connexus supports colleagues to take higher level apprenticeships. Here Mandeep, Tess and Chris discuss their journey.
Chris Skinner is currently undertaking a Chartered Surveyor Apprenticeship alongside his daily role as a property surveyor. This is the second apprenticeship Chris has done in his career, having joined the company as a plumbing apprentice when he left school.
Balancing between work, studies and personal life has been a challenge, and he’s had to sacrifice some social activities, saying: “Time management is essential as there are assignment deadlines, typically within a week of each other between the different modules! This apprenticeship is degree level and distance learning, so it’s a completely different compared to the hands-on approach of the plumbing apprenticeship.”
Tessa Pullen recently completed a Level 5 Learning and Development Consultant/Business Partner apprenticeship. Tessa explained: “I’ve done the formal university stuff, which for me felt very detached from the real world and was like learning to learn rather than developing any practical skills for the workplace. I’ve also done a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education, and this apprenticeship felt much closer to that experience because you’re learning on the job and applying what you’re learning constantly.
“It’s also different to the training courses I’ve done in my time working at Connexus; those are much more focused on the ‘here and now’, and although they all encourage you to take away the learning and apply it, you have to actively make yourself do that. In this apprenticeship, there is no choice as to whether you put your learning into practice; if you don’t, you don’t pass.
“It’s been challenging, of course. In Learning and Development, we can’t plan for every eventuality and often there are last-minute projects that take priority over everything else, but reacting to these changes and having to adapt quickly helped me to develop the skills needed for my apprenticeship. I also have a wonderful manager and team, who supported me through the times of challenge."
Mandeep Jandu is studying for a Level 7 Systems Thinking Practitioner Apprenticeship, a program that develops an understanding of how different parts of a system, such as people, processes and technology connect and influence each other.
Mandeep wanted to develop a strategic approach to managing complex projects and organisational challenges. The apprenticeship provides a balance of academic rigor and practical learning, to allow him to make a greater impact at Connexus.
Like Chris and Tess, Mandeep has found balancing the apprenticeship with his role both challenging and rewarding: “It requires a shift in mindset, learning new concepts while applying them in real time to ongoing projects. However, the structured nature of the program helped me integrate learning into my daily work.”