Your apprenticeship is your responsibility. Make of it what you can.

Employers value their apprentices.

They want you to get qualifications with them and in return you will add value to their business. Many apprentices are young and new to the world of work, bringing with them new ideas and keeping the business rolling. However, it doesn’t all fall on your employer to make your apprenticeship as valuable as it can be.  You need to try your best to make your apprenticeship what you want it to be!

Remember – an apprenticeship is what you make it

Be On Time

If you’re on time every day, your employer is going to value you because they will know you're reliable. This may mean they will be happy to keep you in employment after your apprenticeship if the opportunity is available or if you are looking for a new job they will tell your prospective employer you are good with time management! Which is great to put on your CV.

Ask Questions

You will be doing your apprenticeship in an area you want a career in. So don’t be afraid to ask your colleagues questions! They will have experience and skills they can pass on to you, most people are happy to talk about what they do and impart your knowledge. It's also worth asking the people on the same course as you their experience, some of them may be new to the job however other people could just be retraining and have years of experience!

Join In

Cease every opportunity and have a go at everything you can. If you are offered a new challenge or responsibility, even if you think you will struggle, just ask a few more questions and try to do what you’re being asked to do. Before you know it, it’ll be a doddle and you’ll be helping your colleagues with things too!

Listen

Don’t go into your apprenticeship acting like you know everything you are talking about. At the end of the day, the people you are working with have experience and although they will value your opinion they might not appreciate you telling them how to do things. Listen and take on board everything you are told. 

Have a timetable

You will end up having daily tasks that you know like the back of your hand, so make a timetable to do them all – it will make you proactive but also mean you have something to work towards. For example, if you have a social media apprenticeship you may be required to check messages at the beginning of every day. Set daily targets and before you know it the day will be done!

Set Yourself Goals

If you know that you want to have a career in management then tell your employer that in the future you want to be a manager! An apprenticeship is all about learning things, your employer might even say you can shadow a manager in your department so you can get experience...

Save Money

During an apprenticeship you’ll get at least £3.50 an hour (April 2017). Although you’ll be spending money at the weekend and on transport or maybe even accommodation you can start saving. Whether that means you can move to London and get a job in the heart of the capital or go on holiday in the Summer, you’ll value your apprenticeship so much more! Because you can see the great outcomes!

Remember

Remember everything you have done. If you try to get a new job after your apprenticeship they will be looking for what experience you have. What computer packages you used, or for a mechanic, what vehicles you’ve worked on and what you do on them for example. The more you remember, the more you can talk about in an interview to showcase your skills!