Level 6 HR Apprentice Review

I have gained industry experience in a number of different areas within my time such as refining and improving the recruitment process for our candidates and also improving our employer brand for future candidates and employees. On a daily basis, this traditionally involves reaching out to colleagues to create, build and develop blogs and stories for our social media platforms, to speaking with our tech team to understand how we can make an improvement to our system in the shortest and most efficient time frame.

Being on an apprenticeship has hugely improved my ability to effectively time-manage. Working within an organization that is always changing, has made time planning difficult but through Kanban's and other platforms I been able to successfully manage my time each week. I have also vastly improved my writing and maths skills through both my training provider and my employer, who continue to offer stretch courses and projects.

Being on an apprenticeship program is hugely rewarding, there is always something or someone to make you feel valued. You gain industry exposure to a number of business areas, as well as making senior connections to networking with peers and colleagues. The projects I am faced with can be challenging, however with the support and experts around you, there is always someone to support you along the journey.

The structure of my program is mixed, generally I am very happy with the team I am working with for my three year course, and I am given opportunities outside my business area. However I struggle with only monthly educational learning sessions from the training provider, it means contact between training staff and me as the apprentice is challenging.

My employer is incredibly supportive. They will encourage other areas of the business to listen and empower apprentices where previously this wouldn't have happened, and they ensure concerns are looked into closely. I was also gently eased into my program as moving straight from school to corporate is a big change, so they made this transition smoother.

My training provider can be challenging to work with at times. Although they have become easier to connect with, the first several months of my apprenticeship was challenging with communication between admin teams, tutors and my employer. This meant the beginning of the course was disruptive however has since been improved. The training provider has comprehensive policies in place for support with qualifications/assignments however I am yet to use these.

I am fortunate in that my qualification covers several different business areas and skills. This means I can interlink these closely with my day-to-day work. Some of the theory behind many of the assignments can be less relevant but often you can then challenge the traditional theory in your workplace, and try to change the ways-of-working within your team.

Vodafone has got a plethora of different activates, many of which ran by an internal committee. These include sports events, intercompany networking opportunities, socials and much more. Each event they try to follow with a social, and they also try to challenge the norm by ensuring that not all socials are centered around alcohol.

Yes

Vodafone is an excellent place where youth are respected, carefully mentored and programs are set out to ensure we get the best experience. Many of my friends who went to uni would have been given many more opportunities whilst in the workplace, and Vodafone ensures that each apprentice remains happy throughout their course.

Check out our spirit values! They are the bread and butter of our culture and how we operate at Vodafone and really allow each candidate to work out whether Vodafone would be a good fit for them. Other piece of advise would be to ensure your interview questions are detailed yet concise as we move towards simplicity as a company priority.