Wing – I manage apprentices
I believe apprenticeships are key to giving someone a start in the real working world along with a useful education. They offer great benefits to the team as you gain new talent and you can adapt the role to fulfil their learning and business needs.
When you recruit an apprentice, I think the most important thing to do is to build a rapport with them, so they feel welcome and to maintain their interest and enthusiasm for the role. We try to get them to understand how things are done and how to complete tasks.
We do a lot of things to support apprentices, especially now with Covid-19. I arranged a last minute Christmas lunch with some of the team in early December while it was still possible to eat out. We keep in regular touch through phone calls and Microsoft Team meetings and check on their health and wellbeing. It’s important that conversations are two way so we can adapt the work and offer the apprentices challenges.
Our apprentice, Millie wants to learn and help the team. She has played an important role in helping to keep the office running by printing invoices and posting out letters and documents to our clients. Millie has also helped with taking telephone payments and covering voicemail duties. At the same time, she has been undertaking her own responsibilities and studies.
For me, having apprentices in the team is about giving back. Apprenticeships are a platform to share my knowledge and be able to give advice and pointers to an apprentice and see them grow and develop. I feel it is kind of like guiding a young me, assisting them in working in a large and complex organisation.
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