Why did you choose to do an apprenticeship?

I wanted to make use of what I already knew about IT, but also wanted to extend my knowledge of the sector, especially in areas I had no experience in. I didn’t have any formal qualifications to show, but althaus were able to help me with this by doing functional skills in English and supporting me along the journey of my apprenticeship. Their support helped me get the highest possible grade, which also helped me continue enjoying what I like to do with information technology. 

What was the onboarding process like?

The whole process of getting onto the apprenticeship was sound. It was really easy to get on with everyone at althaus and they helped me work out the best way forward onto the apprenticeship for me. 

How did you find the apprenticeship overall?

During the apprenticeship, the althaus team were completely understanding of my situation. I was able to have an extension on my work, which I was thankful for. But also, from start to finish, they were always trying to guide me and support me along the journey, no matter what I needed. 

What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?

The best advice I’d give to anyone wanting to do an apprenticeship is to make sure you’re actually interested in the career path you’ve chosen, otherwise it just sets you up to fail. At times throughout an apprenticeship, there might be sections you’re not particularly interested in, but you give it your all still because the majority of the course you enjoy. So make sure you pick a career path you’re interested in. That’s the number one thing for me. 

How did you find the training delivered and what support did you get?

The training was great, I was able to attend every single session and the support from my Digital Skills Coach Connor was top tier. He was always there to help if I needed extra support or had any issues. It was just a process of sending an email or giving him a quick call, and he’d be able to get back as soon as possible with the answer or a solution. He was able to help get me over the line and support me in completing my apprenticeship. 

Doing Zoom calls for the live sessions were helpful as well, especially when as many people as possible had their cameras on, because it felt like everyone wanted to interact more and made it straightforward to follow what was going on. It made for a better working environment, rather than if all the learning was just watching videos. It helped me become more confident to share ideas, and created a safe community for all of us to excel in learning about IT. 

What support did you receive from althaus throughout your apprenticeship?

I thought everyone I met from the team was kind, thoughtful, and passionate, but most of all they wanted everyone to pass. They would help individuals do the best they could and get them to succeed in the apprenticeships. 

I sometimes struggle in explaining things clearly when I write, but I’m much stronger verbally. Althaus gave me the freedom to do this for my portfolio, which really helped me work to my strengths – Speaking what I wanted to say rather than writing it out helped me avoid missing lots of points I wanted to make. 

The feedback from althaus on each project also helped me to know what exactly was expected of me and made it easier to start other projects for my portfolio. 

What did you find most challenging within the apprenticeship?

The most challenging part of the apprenticeship was being able to balance the workload and portfolio, making sure I gave enough time for both and not prioritising one over the other throughout the duration of the programme. Also getting a good structure for my first project was a challenge, but once I got this sorted, it then became a case of repeating the process for the following projects for my portfolio.