This week is National Apprenticeship Week, which aims to put the spotlight on the benefits of apprenticeships to both young people and employers.
Here at Fordway, we believe that our employees are the most important assets of our business, but rather than take our word for it, we caught up with our current apprentice Milo Kyle to hear what he has to say about his own experience through our apprenticeship programme.
Q: What attracted you to the apprenticeship with Fordway?
I’m studying Business Administration with Waverley Training Services and saw the Business Administration apprenticeship with Fordway advertised on the Government website. There are loads on there, but Fordway stood out because it fitted my career path and I wanted to experience a fast-paced business environment. IT also interests me. I was looking for somewhere within the distance that I wanted to travel. So, it was perfect really.
Q: So, you’re 5 months into your 13-month apprenticeship, what’s the best bit about it so far?
I like working across departments. My week is split between Professional Services, Finance and HR and Sales and Marketing. I like the new responsibility that I have, like how I’ve gone from not having a job to having responsibility, and it’s nice. It’s rewarding. Plus, working across teams I get to have two quarterly team lunches instead of one!
Q: Is the Apprenticeship what you expected?
Yeah, it’s better than what I thought it would be. I thought I’d be doing basic tasks that no one else wants to do. Like grabbing coffee! I’m using skills that I’m good at and I enjoy and applying them daily. I feel like I’m learning loads and I can make a difference by being able to apply my skills and identify ways to improve business processes within teams.
Q: What tasks do you like doing most?
I like the technical side. Excel especially and I’m excited to start working with Power BI as well. They use it in Professional Services and so I’m looking to move the Sales reporting over to it if we can.
Q: Has the Apprenticeship influenced your thoughts on your future career path?
Well, I didn’t know that I wanted to do Marketing until I started to ‘do’ Marketing. It combines creativity and technical skills such as analytics, which I’m good at and it is data driven; so I get to use different parts of my brain.
What do you like most about Fordway?
Everyone is so friendly. It’s not like a small community, but it’s not like a disconnected big corporate either. It’s big enough that you can get support from a lot of people.
Q: What are your career goals after your Apprenticeship?
I don’t know for certain. I’ll probably go to University and then see what happens after that. But it’s not set in stone. I’m doing a Level 3, but I could go on to do Level 4 and then its more specialised. I really like working at Fordway too and working in the world of IT, so I would love to grow further within the company and hopefully continue with my training allowing me to progress to a full-time job.
Q: That’s fantastic — you have lots of options! So, would you recommend an apprenticeship?
In general, yes, and at Fordway definitely!
At Fordway, we are proud to be part of the Government’s Apprenticeship scheme and have had phenomenal results working with individuals who just needed that extra nudge to get into the workplace. Milo is just one of many success stories of the apprenticeship programme. Fordway hopes to continue encouraging bright stars to come through the apprenticeship track, which is fundamental to how Fordway nurtures, retains and rewards talent.
Fordway is currently recruiting for two positions:
