Callum

What were you doing before you were an apprentice?

Before I started as an apprentice, I had just come out of finishing my GCSE’s and started in college. I then applied to be an apprentice while I was in college.

Why did you decide to apply to become an apprentice?

I decided to apply as an apprentice as it allowed me to gain the work-related skills while also being enrolled into a college course to further my learning. Personally, I respond better to seeing how equipment and software is used in a real-world scenario, so this helped me apply what I was learning in college more quickly.

What qualification are you doing/have done that’s relevant to this job?

I’ve completed my Level 3 in Applied Computing and NVQ when I was an apprentice. I then was able to do my level 4 HNC in applied computing and after that moved onto my level 5 HNC with Coleg Sir Gar. I’m now working towards completing my degree in Cybersecurity and Networking by mid next year. All of these were completed while working in the authority.

What team/service do you work for?

I’m a Technical Officer working for the Technical Delivery team in IT Services.

What sort of things do you do in your job role?

Help manage and maintain the authority’s framework and network services. I help look after the authority’s device management services, network devices such as switches, routers, and access points, as well as create and maintain the authorities core hosted services.

What do you enjoy most about being an apprentice?

As I had a genuine interest in IT, I enjoyed the ability to learn and apply my skills at the same time. For me this accelerated my learning as I could see how systems worked as I was completing assignments on them in college. As well as that, starting off as a 16-year-old with apprentice wage gave me the ability to afford the places I wanted to go and things I wanted to do in my spare time.

What advice/top tip would you give anyone thinking of applying to become an apprentice?

If you can, go for it. The perks you get combing learning with work are outstanding. It’s a good avenue to getting a good job at the end of it as supposed to coming in new with a degree with no work experience. The authority and my line managers have always made sure that I’m able to continue my learning, providing the funding and the time necessary for me to complete my tasks. Personally, I’ve been able to complete my degree after becoming full time with the authority from my apprenticeship course. It may take a little bit longer due to the fact you’re part time, but it’s definitely worth doing for the work experience.

What would you like to do once you complete your apprenticeship?

I’ve completed my apprenticeship and became full time as a Field Engineer a few months after I had finished my level 3. Since then I’ve been promoted to a Digital Support Officer and now to my current role of Technical Officer.