To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week this week, we spoke with Old Viking Morgan Taylor, who left Shiplake in 2019 to be one of the first recruits to start a four-year business apprenticeship with Hovis.
An apprenticeship is a real job where you learn, gain experience and get paid. You're an employee with a contract of employment and holiday leave. At the end of an apprenticeship the employee will achieve the equivalent education level, with Level 2 equivalent to a GCSE, Level 3 an A Level, Levels 4-5 equivalent to a Foundation degree and Levels 6-7 the equivalent to a Bachelor's or master's degree.
Tell us more about the apprenticeship programme that you are on?
The apprenticeship program I am on is called a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship. This is a four year course in which I will be completing a Level 6 Chartered Manager Apprenticeship, a degree in Professional Practice in Management and working through various business placements in Hovis.
What made you want to apply for an apprenticeship and the Hovis one in particular?
Throughout the Sixth Form I always knew I wanted to do an apprenticeship as opposed to going to university. I wanted to start working, however I felt it was important to continue with my education at the same time. I was attracted to the Hovis apprenticeship as Hovis were offering me the chance both to work and study towards a degree and I wanted to gain some work experience after completing my A Levels at school.
What was the application process like?
The application process consisted of a phone interview, a face-to-face interview, online testing and assessments. This is a similar process that other companies I had looked at use for apprentice applications. Each stage of the application process had its own difficulties and challenges. Being at school I was very inexperienced with regards to interviews and demonstrating my skills at the assessment centrr. The assessment centre was the most important stage of the process for me, as it was the chance to demonstrate the skills I had been discussing in the previous interviews. The day included a variety of exercises including presentations, interviews and practical group exercises. This was important as senior managers and executives were very keen to get to know everyone as potential apprentices. Hovis put lots of time and energy into this day, so it was important to take it seriously and come fully prepared. The competition when applying was very strong and meant every stage of the process required full commitment and hard work. The whole process though was very rewarding as I gained a lot of experience from each different stage. It was a fun experience in an odd way and I even got to make bread. Even though the process may seem daunting, both you and the company are looking to make the right decision about the future, so don’t be worried and give it your best.
What Sixth Form subjects did you study and how did they prepare you for your apprenticeship?
In the Sixth Form I studied Chemistry, Economics and Geography. Economics was the academic subject most relevant to my apprenticeship. I used the knowledge about the business environment which I had learnt at A Level in some of my placement roles around the business. However, regardless of the subjects you choose, the process of revising and completing an A Level will prepare you for the responsibilities of an apprenticeship, in particular time management skills developed when revising and and the personal resilience whilst completing examinations.
Was there anything else that you did at school that helped with your application and also on the apprenticeship itself?
Whilst I think the qualifications I achieved from my academic subjects gave me the opportunity to apply for the apprenticeship, it was the soft skills I developed at school that helped me to gain the position. Participating in sports teams as well as being a head of house, improved my confidence and emotional intelligence. I would definitely advise pupils to get involved in as many activities as they can as these will help with create a more well-rounded CV.
How do you feel you compare to your peers who are at university completing their degrees?
I feel there are both positives and negatives of doing an apprenticeship. It is a recognised disadvantage of apprenticeships that you don’t achieve the same social experience that you may achieve at university. However, the advantage of an apprenticeship is gaining work experience as well as completing apprenticeship qualifications. I always knew I wanted to do an apprenticeship, but I do also think university is a good choice as well. I am very happy doing an apprenticeship and I have friends in my year who are very happy at university. It’s all about which choice you think will benefit you the most.
What are the benefits of learning whilst you are working?
One benefit of learning whilst working is being able to apply learning in the workplace. The practical side of the apprenticeship means an apprentice can can apply the theory they are learning from their studies more directly than if they were only studying, when it would not be as easy to synchronise the learning with practical examples. Another benefit is that you are able to earn whilst learning, which is a fantastic opportunity.
What advice would you give a pupil who is considering applying for an apprenticeship?
The best advice I can give is to try and stand out as much as posisble. Strong academic results will give you a great foundation but it is important to build on these grades with a wide array of experiences such as sports, music and other co-curricular activities that will develop your soft skills. During the process of applying for apprenticeships, companies will be looking at your personality as well as your grades and so it is important to prove that you have a variety of skills and behaviours that they will be looking for.
Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years' time?
I hope to have completed my apprenticeship and achieved good results in all the qualifications I am working towards. It is early days to consider which role I want to go into after my apprenticeship, as there are still so many placements I want to experience and learn more about. I will continue to develop after the four years of my apprenticeship and use the strong foundation I have built so far. I am in a good position to apply for roles in Hovis and I hope to use the help and guidance of my mentors, line managers and the apprentice team to keep finding new challenges.
Thank you Morgan for giving us such a great insight to what being an apprentice is like!
Mrs Louise Rapple Moore, Head of Careers adds: "Apprenticeships are one of the best options for pupils after leaving school. Degree apprenticeships offer the opportunity to get a full degree, with the tuition fees paid by the company, whilst also working in a full time job and earning a good salary - typically around £20,000/year. Pupils gain proper workplace experience whilst also gaining an internationally-recognised qualification. I am very keen on apprenticeships and, as part of our Careers programme, I make sure pupils know all about how they work, how to apply for them, and what the pros and cons are of undertaking an apprenticeship. Every year we have a handful of pupils who secure an apprenticeship after leaving Shiplake and the feedback from these pupils is overwhelmingly positive about how much they are enjoying the programme and the skills and experience they are gaining. It's an area I would love to see more of our pupils going into."
