We understand how valuable apprenticeships can be to both students and businesses. Apprenticeships allow students to gain experience and qualifications whilst being paid, and companies can train the apprentice to fit their company requirements in a cost effective way.
By Cara Fielder. Published 9 July 2018. Last updated 27 June 2023.
We’re already a trusted provider of apprenticeships to a variety of legal sector employers across the country. To practice what we preach we took on our own apprentice, Louis Simmonds, a Business Administration apprentice. We caught up with him to find out why he chose this route.
I’ve wanted to do an apprenticeship since finishing my A Levels in 2016 but could never find anything in the field of work I had experience with or was interested in. When I saw an apprenticeship in business administration, I remembered I had enjoyed Business Studies in college so thought I would give it a go.
I found out about this apprenticeship through the Government Apprenticeship website. I had been looking on a variety of different websites, such as Indeed, but never had much luck. Fortunately, I spotted this apprenticeship on the website and applied.
I chose an apprenticeship so I could learn a new skill whilst on the job. I’ve never really enjoyed the aspect of school where you learn whilst sitting in a classroom. I prefer to be practical and proactive throughout my day. Prior to this apprenticeship, I had spoken to friends and family who had also done apprenticeships and they told me many positive things about learning whilst on the job, developing new skills and being able to gain a qualification at the end of it.
I think strong communication skills are necessary to study through an apprenticeship. If you’re not able to communicate with your employer, or they are not able to communicate with you, it will make the job more difficult. During an apprenticeship, there may be times when you have to work alongside others, as well as individually, and if you don’t have team working skills, you may find more issues down the line. Finally, I believe time management and organisation are also important skills to hone during an apprenticeship. Finding the balance between dealing with the workload of your job and the workload of the apprenticeship is very important.
My first piece of advice would be to find an apprenticeship in an area of work you know, understand, and enjoy. There’s no harm in further developing skills in an area you’re already familiar with. I think doing an apprenticeship in an area you enjoy is beneficial because you will actually want to do well, and you won’t potentially get bored a few months down the line. On the other hand, I also think that doing an apprenticeship in an area you’re not too familiar with can also be quite beneficial. This will allow you to gain skills in a brand new field of work and may open your eyes to something you didn’t think of doing in your life.
In my career, I’m most inspired by my mother as she has shown me that if you put your mind to something then anything is possible. She was employed in mundane jobs for many years but in 2013 she applied to go to university to train in midwifery and qualified last year. She put her mind to her career and the hard work paid off. Now she is doing a job she really enjoys.
My apprenticeship highlight has been having the chance to work in a completely different environment from what I’m used to. I’ve never worked in an office before, so having the chance to work in an office with people who are on hand to help me whenever I need it is enjoyable. The team I work with are very helpful, always patient, and cooperative whenever I have any questions.
Sarah Ramsey, Dean of our Birmingham campus, said: “Education is now a big financial commitment for many people. The fact apprenticeships are an option for people to work and learn on the job means we are opening education and training to a wider, and more diverse, group of people.”
More information on studying for an apprenticeship with us can be found on our Legal Apprenticeships webpage.
