Business and administration apprentice Review

Answering phone calls, taking messages and connecting calls to proper departments Following up on clients’ business communications, ordering and billing and tracking the organisation’s expenditure Invoicing clients, collecting company data and negotiating agreements with internal and external stakeholders Educating clients about company products and services and how to make a purchase Communicating with clients through fax and emails and building positive relationships with them Making employee travel arrangements and helping with minor technical issues Preparing documents through editing, printing and binding Preparing plans to help streamline and improve business operations

Proven verbal and written communication skills and the ability to prepare reports and budgets Excellent filing and sorting skills and the ability to manage business correspondence Excellent bookkeeping skills and proficiency with relevant computer software Rapid data entry, attention to details and good editing skills Ability to operate office gadgets such as printers and copiers Excellent people and customer service skills Good research skills, data analysis and the ability to translate complex data into a simple format

I enjoy it a lot, it is very different to other business admin apprenticeships where you stay in one placement with the same team. My apprenticeship allows me to do 4 placements over the 2 years so I learn a lot about the company and the teams I work in and what they do.

Very well, 2 weeks before your new placement, you find out where your next placement will be so this is always very well prepared and we also get projects every few months to work on which can develop our team skills as we work in apprentice groups. Babcock is a very good apprentice provider as they structure and organise it well.

A lot. We get monthly 1-1s with our office manager who can ask us questions and ensure we are ok in our placements. We can be very open and honest and also discuss things we aren't happy with or we are worried about. They are always ensuring we are ok.

Our training provider gives us lots of feedback on our college work so we know when we are on track vs when we aren't. They also visit us in our jobs a few times during our apprenticeship to watch us and ensure we are doing the correct thing with customer service and gaining skills.

I know that if I don't apply my course work to my day to day job, I will not pass my NVQ. I always ensure to provide quality customer service as this will develop my skills and knowledge and will help me to gain my NVQ. When researching answers for NVQ work, I also learn more and about how I can apply this to my job role.

There aren't necessarily sports teams within my company but there are network teams and groups to get involved in which do this stuff outside of work. Babcock also offer lots of discounts to employees for external companies such as gyms which encourages employees as well as having an onsite gym. There are however lots of professional network events which take place.

Yes

You earn a large salary whilst learning to do a job which you will pursue after the apprenticeship but will be able to go into this job with a large understanding of the company and with many skills to help you. I wouldn't like to jump into a job without this understanding I have gained and it has also helped to boost my confidence.

Be yourself, always ask others if you don't understand something and make lots of networks in the company. Knowing people is the best way to understand how the company works as they can help you in your future role if necessary. Don't be afraid to ask if you don't know, asking helps you to gain an understanding.