Apprentice Case Studies
Hollie Cotgrove, JBW Judical Services Group
Business Administration Apprenticeship Level 2
Hollie Cotgrove is currently undertaking a Level 2 Apprenticeship in Business Administration.
At JBW Judical Services Group in London, Hollie works as a Customer Care Apprentice alongside four other members of staff in the Customer Care Team.
Hollie applied for an apprenticeship after previously studying at Sixth Form. She wanted to start working and earning money, she considered going to university but later decided that an apprenticeship “came out overall as a better suited option” for her. Since beginning her apprenticeship in October 2017 Hollie has been learning about how the organisation works and continually widening her knowledge. She said: “Learning new things all the time is a big achievement”.
Hollie’s future goals within JBW are to be offered a full time role at the end of her apprenticeship, and wishes to work her way up within the company to become a manager in the future.
As part of Hollie’s apprenticeship she is completing English, maths and ICT Functional Skills. She said: “I am completing all three functional skills by completing different tasks and work books online. This is helping me progress with my job as where I write emails often, the English side of things helps me as I remember things to do such as spellings, punctuation and structuring etc.. as well as ICT where I have been using different software.”
Ryan Howells, CarShop
Business Administration Apprenticeship Level 2
Ryan, 18, from Swindon, started his Level 2 Business and Administration Apprenticeship in February 2017.
Working for CarShop in Swindon as an Apprentice Accounts Administrator, Ryan was involved in the Administration and Account teams in the office. He said: “The guys really make the workplace enjoyable”. Since starting his apprenticeship Ryan believes his communication and confidence has improved. He says: “I've learned all sorts of different skills and a confidence boost, work is very different from school but in a positive way.”
Before starting his apprenticeship Ryan was attending College and had a part time job. He applied for an apprenticeship because he wanted to gain a qualification whilst working. He explains: “The thing that drove me away from school and college was the system and the way it works. I still wanted more paperwork under my belt, but also experience and independence.” In the future Ryan is aiming to progress within CarShop as far as he could. He said: “As long as CarShop has something to offer me to progress then I would happily go all the way.”
The month Ryan completed his apprenticeship he secured full time employment at CarShop. His Manager, Wioleta Czapor knew he had potential from the beginning – he is a valued member of the team and has shown drive and ambition throughout his entire apprenticeship. Because of this CarShop were willing to support him through The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualification to further his knowledge.
Charley Hickin, Pentagon
Level 3 Customer Service Apprenticeship
After successfully completing her Level 2 Customer Service Apprenticeship in 2016, Charley has now upskilled onto Level 3. Working with Pentagon Vauxhall as a Bodyshop Consultant in Nottinghamshire, she is due to complete her apprenticeship in April 2018 after gaining further knowledge of customer service and improving her IT skills.
Before starting her qualification, Charley attended College but then decided to apply for an apprenticeship because she was interested in “Working whist learning.”
Since beginning both her Level 2 and Level 3 apprenticeships in Customer Service Charley said she has learnt how to better her skills and deal effectively with customers. She has also completed Functional Skills maths at Level 2, she said: “This has helped me lots in my job. My Tutor Mandy Murray is great and really pushes me to do my best in my job.”
Charley’s future goals within Pentagon are to become better in her job role and to learn more such as gaining knowledge in accounts and administration.