Apprentice training administrator Review

I organise and administrate professional and personal development workshops and programmes. This includes liaising with trainers and delegates, arranging room bookings and catering. On the day of the course, I meet and greet the trainer and delegates. Following the event, I send out evaluations and feedback. My role also consists of doing communications work such as designing publicity materials and using IT systems.

I have developed my IT skills. I used to be quite overwhelmed by Excel however my manager supported me and showed me it's capabilities. I then realised I was naturally quite good at using it and went on further training to use it to its potential. I also have developed skills such as using automated booking systems and databases.

The college and tutors are excellent at supporting you throughout your programme and will always ensure that you are engaging with it. However I have found that aspects of the course are very basic and simplistic. The units hold a variety of opportunities for you to learn new skills but some of the units can also hold you back- make sure you challenge yourself and be honest with your tutor and manager.

It can take a little while to be formally signed up to the programme and to begin the next level- this quickly adds on time to your apprenticeship length and so a 2 year course can quickly become a 26 month course. That being said, once you are signed up, the college and staff go out of their way to help you and support you and they explain the structure of the programme in great detail.

I cannot fault my employer. I have been so impressed with the support and opportunities that they give me and I cannot thank them enough. I feel very lucky to work in an environment where my development comes first and where it is recognised as important. They always find ways to challenge and stretch me, and give me incredible support along the way.

The college and staff do support you, however, there is only so much that they can do. If you find that the units are a little basic there is little they can do to push you further, except encourage you to complete even more units. This can be a little frustrating. However, they meet regularly with you to discuss your progress and to set you new challenges and they are always open to honest feedback. The staff are excellent.

I feel that I have learned most of my skills 'on the job' rather than through the training provider. The training provider has provided opportunities to learn things that normally wouldn't be covered in my job, such as interviewer skills and project management, and these are excellent transferrable skills that will one day come in handy even if they are not entirely relevant for me now.

At the University there was little chance to network with other apprentices so I have set up my own apprenticeship networking group and this is a chance for apprentices at the University to get together and discuss how we are all getting on. There are also more formal opportunities provided by the Apprenticeships team, and in the summer we had group developmental session.

Yes

It's a great way to get your foot in the door and be exposed to so many opportunities. I haven't looked back since working here and couldn't recommend it more! The salary is very competitive and the University looks excellent on the CV. They also truly believe in professional and personal development so you not only grow in confidence in the job you're doing but in who you are and your skills.

Demonstrate in your application how you meet your criteria and don't be afraid to sell yourself. They will first judge you on paper alone so it is important to get those first good impressions! At the interview stage, be you and don't panic. Take time to think before answering the interview questions and give them lots of evidence for each criteria so they can't not hire you!