The Bristol Post Apprenticeship Awards 2018 Finalists

To invest or not to invest in the Apprenticeship scheme..

Did you know apprenticeships are available in 1500 job roles, covering more than 170 industries? This month marks the 11th National Apprenticeship week, a week that shares the success and importance of the apprenticeship system. At Systemagic we’ve provided placements to apprentices for the past 8 years, we recognise the value in developing a strong team in order to guarantee future success and as result by recruiting apprentices we have been able to access a wider pool of talented young people that bring something new and different to the team, as well as we’ve winning multiple awards for our scheme!

We caught up with our current apprentice Adam to see how he’s getting on and why he thinks the scheme is so important for employers to consider:

How have you found the first 6 months of your apprenticeship?

So far so good! It’s been enjoyable to elevate my knowledge of IT from a hobbyist level to more in depth ways of working. 

Why did you decide on an apprenticeship?

I was stuck in a retail job and it was making me unhappy. Going from full time employment to an apprentice level was a drop in pay but after crunching the numbers I went for it! A drop in pay now is a very small price to pay for the expertise and personal betterment I’ll gain during my apprenticeship and once it’s all concluded I’m already a member of the team!

What are you enjoying most about the role?

I’m really enjoying learning on the job and increasing my knowledge in a subject I’m passionate about. My place in Systemagic has been very accommodating and coming to work with a supportive group of colleagues has been very pleasant.

Would you recommend an apprenticeship to other students who may be torn between that and university?

Absolutely. Based on my experiences I would definitely recommend it. If you know what you want to do, why not learn as you earn? You’ll have support from your assessors and your work colleagues so you’ll have that support network to help you through any rough times or things you may not understand. 

What would you say to current employers thinking about offering apprenticeships in their business?

You should certainly consider an apprentice program. If you invest time and effort into the people you work with they’ll invest in you. While it may be slow going in the early stages of getting a new apprentice on board it’ll pay you back in the long run with homegrown talent and people who can learn how your company operates as they learn. Then once their education has concluded they are a fully functioning and fully integrated member of your team.

In both current and previous years Bath, Bristol and Yeovil college have helped us to take raw talent and mould it into fantastic colleagues to have in our team National Apprenticeship Week is something all businesses should support and if you don’t have an apprentice on board you really should ask yourself why!

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