The world of apprenticeships is thriving, enabling participants to earn while they learn, get invaluable on-the-job-experience, and gain a nationally-recognised qualification. Former Head of College Estelle Thomas (20W) fought off a lot of competition to obtain a place on Amazon’s Degree Apprenticeship Scheme. To highlight National Apprenticeship Week, we caught up with Estelle to ask about her experience so far.
Tell us more about the apprenticeship programme that you are on?
I am on the Amazon Business Degree Apprenticeship based in Shoreditch, London. I work four days a week in the office and one day a week I study for my degree. The company pays for my degree and also pays me a salary. The apprenticeship is three years long and each year based in a different department, I am currently in B2B sales, as part of a team.
What made you want to apply for an apprenticeship?
I have always been fascinated by finding and creating a career I love as we spend a lot of our lives working. Through working and studying you learn a business skill set at an accelerated rate while also earning. It gives you the chance to experience working in a company, but without the pressure and expectation of coming in at a graduate level.
What was the application process like?
It was really long, much longer than expected. I applied to several different companies including L'Oréal, Moët & Chandon, and Amazon.
For Amazon specifically, it started with an initial application. Including a CV and cover letter/personal statement. I was lucky to get called for a video interview, where I was asked a series of automated questions that then gets played back to hiring managers who decide if you progress to the next stage. The next interview was over Zoom because of COVID, it consisted of five interviews with different hiring managers and a group task which took around five hours! I then had a final meeting where they offered me the job. The entire interview process and decision-making took about three-four months.
What Sixth Form subjects did you study and how did they prepare you for an apprenticeship?
I studied Psychology, Business BTEC and Photography. The coursework in Photography and Business helped prepare me for managing a working load. As four out five days a week I was working and doing a set of tasks instead of revising. However, Psychology taught me how to work academically and revise effectively for my degree.
How do you feel you compare to your peers who are at university completing their degrees?
Degree Apprenticeships are still incredibly new - I am only the second cohort on the Amazon program. You get experience and insight into the working world, you find out what you like and don’t like and this can help channel your focus and get started earlier in your career. It is argued that you have a head start on your career as you have three years of paid experience and a degree and are most likely offered a job at the end.
However, it is different from the university experience. As you are working a 9-5 you don’t have as much time to socialise, but you are earning a good salary and are able to have cool experiences after work and weekends. You can mix with a range of different ages and there is a big focus on after-work drinks! I enjoy living in London and all that the city has to offer.
It depends on what you personally like, I feel that even just going through the application process is worth doing to show you what it is like to apply for a competitive job and to start to think about the career you would like to pursue, so it doesn’t come as a shock after uni.
What advice would you give to a pupil who is considering applying for an apprenticeship?
Even if you do not get the role you want or decide not to take it, the experience of applying is incredibly helpful for future jobs. It helped me to understand what is required and made me think why I would like to work at a specific company or job. It is important to research the company and have clear and impactful examples of situations that showcase your skill set.
I found from my experience that, unlike a university where a lot of the emphasis of acceptance is focused on the grades, Degree Apprenticeship hiring managers want to know about your experience working. Whether that is a part-time weekend job or young enterprise, it is important and definitely helps with your application. So I would definitely advise anyone considering applying to try and gain some work experience first.
Thank you Estelle for providing us with this insight.
The College's Head of Careers, Mrs Rapple Moore said "Apprenticeships are in many ways the very best path for an ambitious pupil to follow after leaving school. A Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship will take approximately four years and during this time apprentices will generally earn over £20,000 per year, and their university tuition fees will be paid by their employer. They will study for a full university degree, gaining exactly the same qualification that they would have had if they had gone to university. More and more degree apprenticeships are becoming available every year and they are definitely the best path for anyone who is interested in making good money as quickly as possible whilst securing both qualifications and work experience and setting themselves up for a successful future career. Apprenticeships are available in many fields but the main ones are Business, IT, Finance and Engineering.
As part of our sixth-form Careers programme I champion apprenticeships at every opportunity. Over the past few years Shiplake pupils have gone onto apprenticeships with Amazon, British Airways, BDO, Hovis and others. I would love to see more of our pupils going down the path of degree apprenticeships."
