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Beaconplus - Shining bright with an apprenticeship

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Robyn Carlin of BeaconPlus

Robyn Carlin, an apprentice at Beaconplus, shares with us why she chose to do an apprenticeship over college and how it has been the best choice for her career.

We are proud to work in partnership with Beaconplus as they are a fantastic company that strongly promote personal growth and development of their staff through the apprenticeship and up-skilling route. As you'll see from these case studies, a large number of their employees have been, and still are, going through the apprenticeship route; from new starters all the way up to managers. 

What made you want to be an apprentice?

“I have never enjoyed going to school and college, I just felt like it wasn’t for me. I would get so bored during lessons and never really learned anything. I have found that I always learn better when I experience things first hand. And apprenticeship takes a more practical approach to learning and that’s what enticed me the most.”

What is it like to earn and learn?

“I think the best part of an apprenticeship is that you can earn and learn at the same time. I find it a lot better than going to college as I am gaining the experience I need to become successful and earning a decent income to save for my future.”

How did it feel on your first day?

“I was so nervous on my first day, I didn’t know what to expect as I had never worked in an office before and didn’t really know anything about business administration. Everyone at Beaconplus made me feel so welcome and I couldn’t wait to get stuck into something new and different, despite my nerves.”

What has the support been like from Total People?

“The support has been great from Total People, my training advisor is always available to answer any questions by email and comes in once every few weeks for a progress review. I don’t think I would be doing as well as I am without the progress reviews as they allow me to set goals for the coming weeks and get some feedback on how well I have done and what I could improve on for next time.”

How have you enjoyed working at Beaconplus

“I have been here for nearly 2 years now and I have loved every minute of it. The people are so nice and friendly and the work is always different and challenging. I never thought I would suit an office job but I actually really enjoy the things I do here.”

What have been some of your highlights so far?

“As I have grown within Beaconplus, I have been given more challenging tasks and responsibilities that my managers believe I am capable of. This has probably been the best thing about working here as it feels so good knowing all my hard work has paid off and that’s my managers can see that and encourage me to be even better.”

How do you feel an apprenticeship has benefited you, both personally and professionally?

“Completing an apprenticeship has benefited me in many ways. I have grown a lot more confident since leaving college and speaking to a whole new bunch of people. I have gained a lot of valuable experience by learning and working. I think being on the apprenticeship has made me much more of a hard worker. I could study when and how I wanted instead of being cooped up in a classroom and it makes me more determined to complete everything.”

What is your five-year plan?  Has your apprenticeship helped shaped your future career?

“In 5 years I still hope to be working at Beaconplus and hopefully working towards a successful role. The apprenticeship has definitely shaped my future as I have had more on the job experience and learning than I ever would have done in college which I think it even more beneficial than the qualification. I am hoping to move on to Level 4 and gain as much knowledge and experience so I can progress and excel in the coming years.”

Please click on the links below to read about the other inspirational case studies from employees at Beaconplus.

Click here to read Richard's story.

Click here to read Katie's story.

Click here to read Darren's story.

Click here to watch Rebecca's video.

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