As part of National Apprentice Week, we're celebrating Metro Rod's commitment to including Apprentices within our ever-growing workforce, both out on the road & within our offices. We sat down with our two newest Business Administration Apprentices based out of the Metro Rod North Midlands & Worcester office, Aemillia Nicholson & Bethany Hayes, to discuss how they're finding life as Apprentices;
What qualification are you currently studying towards?
Aemillia: "NVQ Level 2 in Business Administration"
Beth: "NVQ Level 2 in Business Administration"
Why did you join Metro Rod?
Aemillia: "I wanted to add relevant qualifications to my current skillset, something a lot more relevant to the career I wished to embark on. Ideally, I wanted to do this whilst working for a company where I could utilise these qualifications & grow within the role. Having met the management at Metro Rod during my interview, felt Metro Rod was the right environment for me to achieve this."
Beth: "I was looking for a role where business admin was available as a qualification, when I met with Nick & Cheryl at Metro Rod during my interview, I felt there was a supportive environment & a good work ethos for me to be able to achieve this qualification & learn valuable work skills in the process. There's scope to grow with Metro Rod & this is something I'm extremely keen on."
What are your responsibilities at Metro Rod?
Aemillia: "I work on all things Admin & HR! Monitoring engineer time-sheets, general administration duties, monitoring our main email inbox & incoming enquiries from our customers. As well as this I offer general clerical support for our engineers & office staff."
Beth: "I deal with further recommendations from our engineers workload, write up quotes & liaise with our customers regarding these. I liaise with our Senior Engineers when it comes to scheduling their pre-planned maintenance works, specifically the larger, more complicated jobs they are attending. More importantly, I'm also in charge of keeping our office staff happy with regular hot drinks & refreshments!"
What do you hope to achieve with the company in the long-term?
Aemillia: "First & foremost, my Business Admin Level 2 & 3 Qualifications. The chance to develop within the company & eventually improve on my job title. I want to be acquainted with all aspects of the role, learning the company from the inside to be able to achieve my career goals here & excel at what I do."
Beth: "As well as my current qualification, I would like to further expand on this potentially past Level 3. I want to be able to take on more & more responsibility as my time goes on here so i can grow & develop myself within the company."
Would you recommend an apprenticeship & why?
Aemillia: "Yes! Doing an apprenticeship opens up more opportunities further down the line. I struggle in a school-type learning environment as I'm much more a practical learner - I'd rather be learning by doing, rather than endless coursework & exams without actually setting foot within a work environment. It was the obvious choice for me - plus, I'd rather be earning whilst I learn too!"
Beth: "100%! Having completed my A Levels prior to joining, I didn't wish to go down the University route so an apprenticeship was the natural next step for me. I wanted to have a solid, full-time work history on my CV, rather than gaps where I'd been studying. As Aemillia mentioned too, to be able to earn money whilst completing a qualification was a no brainer."
Hopefully this gives a little bit of an insight to anybody thinking of taking up an apprenticeship in the future. Here at Metro Rod, we've certainly seen the value that apprentices have added to our office team!
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#NAW2019 #NationalApprenticeshipWeek2019
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