Apprenticeships help people to develop the skills and knowledge for a rewarding career. And they provide organisations like ours with a really talented workforce that’s equipped with future ready skills.
They can give people degree level qualifications, or even a fully accredited degree qualification, all while earning a wage. And they can help people change or develop within their careers too – apprenticeships aren’t just for school leavers.
We think they’re pretty amazing. But rather than tell you ourselves, we thought we’d let our apprentices do the talking.
Charlie Berrington joined Abri in in November 2018. He completed his Multi-Skilled Operative Level 2 apprenticeship last year and in October, started his specialism apprenticeship in Carpentry.
Here’s what he had to say…
Why did you choose to do an apprenticeship?
I choose to do an apprenticeship because I needed to work and get money alongside it. I had already done two years at college, so wanted to qualify whilst earning money. It was a no brainer for me!
What has your apprenticeship experience been like at Abri?
I initially chose Abri because the Multi-Skilled apprenticeship allowed me to learn aspects of lots of different trades, and then choose something to specialize in after. My experience at Abri has been good. Abri has been very helpful and is always ready to listen to you.
There were a few struggles with Covid and the college side of things, but then again Covid made things difficult for everyone! Even so, I think we dealt with Covid quite well throughout my apprenticeship - we kept pulling through and made progress - it was a big help! Despite the struggles, I passed in perfect timing.
What do you love most about your apprenticeship?
My favorite thing is earning money! I get qualifications whilst earning money, what more can you want?! I also love the friendliness within the teams I've been in - it's always been very sociable and we have a laugh.
How is your apprenticeship helping you to develop your career?
I love that I was able to do the Multi-Skilled Apprenticeship first - so not only am I now specialising, but I have the mutli-skilled knowledge and experience that will stay with me forever. I can do most aspects of any job! It's set me up perfectly for my career.
What does a typical day look like in your role?
A typical day at work will start with me meeting my mentor at the job. I'm at the stage in my apprenticeship where I have the skills and experience to work independently – so I’m given the responsibility of choosing what kind of tasks I’d like to do on site. I discuss this with my mentor and once we have a plan, it's time to get on with our work.
If I'm practicing something new that I've recently learnt at college, I'll work closely with my mentor so he can guide and support me. He'll take some pictures of me completing the task so that I can upload it to SmartAssessor, where I keep track of all the work-related tasks I've done.
And no day is the same! Sometimes I can be getting something out of my van when a customer's neighbor will come over and ask me a question about something else (you wouldn't believe how often this happens!). So I feel like I’m helping the community all the time as well.
It's also important for me to be flexible and ready to adapt - at any point in the day I might get a phone call asking me to go somewhere else to help out with another job.
Where do you hope your apprenticeship will take you?
I hope my apprenticeship will set me up for a long-term career at Abri!
What advice would you give to someone thinking about doing an apprenticeship?
Do make sure you have a good think about what apprenticeship is right for you - you dedicate a lot of time into the process, so make sure you think about it first! But once you've decided what's best for you, just go for it.
Once you’re in, don’t be shy just because you’re an apprentice. It’s great to be forward thinking and voice your opinions. For example, when I first started, I didn’t know much about the tool kit, so I used my initiative, paid close attention to my mentor and which tools he used, and then I’d try and get the next tool ready for him. Little things like that have helped me come on leaps and bounds.
If you're debating applying for an apprenticeship, 100% go for it! You won’t get another opportunity to train whilst you earn! You get to work with a whole range of different people and learn different skill sets. It's got be the way - everyone should do one!
