Alumni Spotlight: Oscar Smith-Christie

For Oscar Smith-Christie, an apprenticeship was the perfect way to start building a career while gaining real-world experience and earning valuable skills.

“I wanted to gain a career and have the right learning provided to me to do well in my role. I knew that I wanted to earn a wage while I learnt the industry I was going into and did not want to go to university and had previously had bad experiences with college.”

Building Key Skills

Through his apprenticeship, Oscar developed a range of skills that have helped him both at work and beyond.

“I learnt a lot of skills while on my apprenticeship that have helped me a lot in my day-to-day life both inside and outside of a work environment. One skill that has helped me the most is learning about how to deal with different customers and situations when the solution is not always easy to figure out.”

Shaping His Career Path

The apprenticeship gave Oscar the platform to learn and grow in his role.

“My apprenticeship helped shape my career path by giving me a platform to learn and grow both on the job and off the job. The off-the-job learning helped me grow and understand things that would have not been possible if I had not had my apprenticeship and also helped me gain key skills such as organisation and timekeeping.”

Achievements and Milestones

Since completing his apprenticeship, Oscar has celebrated some exciting milestones.

“My biggest milestone so far is being accepted onto a further development course inside my company which will help me in years to come when going for promotions. I have also worked at a national trade show (CEF live) which had customers come from all over the country and took over 10,000 customers over two days. If it had not been for my training through LSP, I would not have had the chance to do either of these things.”

Recognition and Feedback

Oscar’s dedication has been acknowledged in various ways.

“It is rewarding being trusted with bigger projects by managers who would normally take control and oversee big jobs. Within the company we also have a weekly recognition platform where we can showcase anything notable or exciting for the entire company to see.”

A Moment of Pride

One success stands out for Oscar:

“I have successfully built relationships with multiple customers that historically have only ever used our competitors in the past, which has resulted in my branch getting multiple big orders from customers that we had never done much business with. This has been hard to build trust and relationships, but when proven that we can help in multiple different fields, this has been something that I am proud to have done.”

Oscar’s Advice

He encourages anyone considering an apprenticeship with LSP to embrace the opportunity fully:

“Jump in head first and grab the opportunity with both hands. The help and guidance I received from my Tutor, Damien, during my apprenticeship is one of the reasons why I am in the position I am in today. Apprenticeships are one of the best things available to someone wanting to gain a career and develop their skills.”
“Going through my apprenticeship with LSP is something that I highly recommend. There is always someone there to talk or help you with whatever you need. The monthly learning modules were extremely helpful and helped me to learn about other topics outside of my work environment. I know many other previous apprentices that feel the same way as I do.”

Oscar’s journey highlights how apprenticeships can give real-world experience, develop practical skills, and create opportunities for long-term career growth.