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’ve been doing your apprenticeship for over a year now, what’s the best bit about it so far?
I like working across departments. My week is split between Finance and HR and Sales and Marketing. I like the trust I’ve been given to complete important tasks withing the business, and the rewarding feeling when I deliver.
Plus, working across teams I get to have two quarterly team lunches instead of one!
Q: What tasks do you like doing most?
I like the technical side. Excel especially and I’ve been learning PowerBI for reporting on marketing analytics and sales data, and also running customer engagement campaigns through our CRM. I feel like I’m really making a positive contribution to the team.
Q. Is there anything you’ve found challenging?
Not with the work itself, but my Dad has been unwell and it could have been very difficult trying to balance a full working week with driving to appointments and taking over responsibilities at home, but Fordway has been super supportive about it.
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: 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.
To find out about the latest job opportunities at Fordway, contact us here.
Milo & father pictured above
