HR Apprentice Review

In my apprenticeship I was allocated to the Employee Relations team completing the role of an Employee Relations Manager. I was responsible for managing cases in line with company policy, processes, tools and frameworks based on current legislation, good practice and business needs. I needed to plan my own workload to ensure SLA's were met.

Having no previous HR background I was quickly gained knowledge about the companies main people policies. This required understanding policy intent and apply the logic to specific cases. Communication was a large part of the role and I was required to effectively guide managers on how to apply policies fairly and consistently, even when they may want to take a different course of action.

Whilst I enjoyed the learning aspect of the apprentice and being in role, the majority of the time it felt as though I was being used as an additional resource to support workload. Also, as there was no guaranteed role at the end apprenticeship, it has been a distraction worrying about the future.

Initially it looked like the apprenticeship had a very good structure in place with the main online resources broken down into chapters and modules. However I stared working through the course I found the materials to be inconsistent, unclear, repetitive, and contained numerous spelling mistakes.

Whilst the Early Careers team where there to support, the time it took to get any issues resolved was far too long. The team I was working on initially had made no allowance for the required apprentice study time, and it was only after four months and raising concerns that my workload was reduced. Many of the activities required involvement or discussion with my line manager, but as they were unfamiliar with the course requirements the assistance was limited.

The feedback I received from my Skills Coach was valuable and helpful, however there are continued issues with the amount of time it takes to get feedback on submissions - some times it could be up to eight weeks before getting any feedback.

Whilst the apprenticeship gave me an opportunity to move into HR, there has been very little that I have been able to apply to the role I am actually doing.

There are occasional social events, but as the team spread are across the country, these tend to be planned around team meetings.

Yes

The company is supportive of introducing talent pipelines and opportunities to develop and build a career.

Ensure it is clear what happens after the apprenticeship - is there a guaranteed job? Make sure your line manager understands the apprenticeship is the primary purpose, and not just an add on to an existing role.