Ever wondered what it’s like to be an Apprentice? Do you want to know the benefits of studying an Apprenticeship at East Coast College? Or maybe you want to know where an Apprenticeship can take you? There’s no better way to answer these questions than to hear the stories of some of our Apprentices!
What is the name of your apprenticeship and which company are you completing it with?
Level 3 Business administration at Fern Communications
When did you start/ when will you finish your apprenticeship?
I started my apprenticeship in April 2024 and am on track to finish by May 2025 – this is because I have put in hours and hours of my time to progress in this way.
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
I decided to give an apprenticeship a go once I had dropped out of university in the first 3 months due to the lifestyle and way of learning not being for me, and it having a big impact on my mental health.
I felt I had hit a block where I spent 5 months working weekends at my food service job whilst focusing on redirecting myself, attending many interviews and working on personal development of my resources such as my CV. I needed to just make the first step and get my foot in the door somewhere that I would be able to continue to learn and be valued, which I have ultimately now found.
What are you enjoying the most about your apprenticeship?
I am most enjoying the real-life experiences I am getting through my apprenticeship that I wasn’t getting at uni and the feeling of purpose and belonging it has given me; I get the privilege to learn something new every day and be part of making a difference. It’s also taught me a lot about myself, I never knew truly what I wanted to do with my career although I can now confidently say I know where I want to go, what I want to learn, and the type of success I am aiming for.
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
I have younger siblings and family members and I always now say to them, ‘please see what apprenticeships are available’… I felt that when I was at school and sixth form, university was very heavily pushed and frowned upon if you chose not to go, which is why I ended up somewhere I didn’t belong. Being lucky enough to have the 2 nd chance to gain qualifications and real-life experience from the bottom has been the greatest gift as someone who valued learning and development.
What are your career hopes for the future?
I am hoping to continue learning after I finish my apprenticeship, my ideal situation would be to gain further Level 5 or 6 qualifications in a QHSE as this is the route I have uncovered through my apprenticeship that I find great enjoyment in.
What school did you attend?
Flegg High School (2016)
What is the name of your apprenticeship and which company are you completing it with?
Electrotechnical Apprenticeship / 21 Degrees
When did you start/ when will you finish your apprenticeship?
01/09/21 – 01/03/2025
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is a great opportunity to gain on-the-job experience as well as build on academic training.
What are you enjoying the most about your apprenticeship?
On-the-job experience.
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
Consider what career route you want to go down first. Do something you enjoy and are passionate about.
What are your career hopes for the future?
Be my own boss.
What school did you attend?
Denes High School
What is the name of your apprenticeship and which company are you completing it with?
NVQ Level 3 City and Guilds Welding and Fabrication with Southampton Marine Services
When did you start/ when will you finish your apprenticeship?
Start 04/09/22
Finish 15/07/2025
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
For the futures aspect of a great career including travel and money.
What are you enjoying the most about your apprenticeship?
The people, Students and Tutors
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
Start it young straight out of school if not where ever you can will be worth it in the long run.
What are your career hopes for the future?
Lots of Travel and large paychecks.
What school did you attend?
Garth Hill College
What is the name of your apprenticeship and which company are you completing it with?
Business Admin with Sizewell C
When did you start/ when will you finish your apprenticeship?
I started my apprenticeship in September 2024 and will finish June 2026
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
I wanted to do an apprenticeship as it allows me to combine work with my studying, this means I can apply what I am learning directly onto real tasks and projects. Moreover, I was never sure completely what I wanted to do whilst growing up, this apprenticeship has given me exposure to so many different opportunities encouraging me to find what I am actually passionate about.
What are you enjoying the most about your apprenticeship?
Something I am really enjoying about my apprenticeship is building my network and meeting a lot of people of different backgrounds and ages, I have also loved all of the opportunities I have been given to develop my skills and knowledge already in the first few months of my apprenticeship.
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
I would say to go for it! Do some research, learn about them and apply for the ones that interest you the most.
If you are contemplating an apprenticeship or University I would personally suggest creating a pros and cons list, to ask yourself why you want to do an apprenticeship. It could also be beneficial to reach out to apprentices on LinkedIn to gain insights about the company and the apprenticeship scheme.
What are your career hopes for the future?
My future career hopes are to grab every learning opportunity I can, continue to gain experience and complete a degree after my apprenticeship.
What school did you attend?
Cliff Park Ormiston Academy
What is the name of your apprenticeship and which company are youcompleting it with?
Business Administration, Pharos Marine Automatic Power LTD
When did you start/ when will you finish your apprenticeship?
June 2024, hopefully finish September/October 2025.
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
Because I didn’t like being in a classroom 5 days a week, I prefer to learn on the job
What are you enjoying the most about your apprenticeship?
The opportunity to move up in my company should the work be put in.
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
Find a field you are interested in and be patient in how you progress. Learn as many departments in that job as possible.
What are your career hopes for the future?
Work my way up to project manager.
What school did you attend?
Cliff Park Ormiston Academy
What is the name of your apprenticeship and which company are you completing it with?
L3 Teaching Assistant at East Norfolk Sixth Form College
When did you start/when will you finish your apprenticeship?
Started at January 2024 and due to finish January 2026, however, I am on target to finish this year.
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
I have always enjoyed and thrived in practical work, so being able to work while learning has helped me excel.
What are you enjoying the most about your apprenticeship?
I specifically love my role, working with the students and building the relationships with them. I love all the opportunities I gain from being an apprentice and working with a supportive team.
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
My advice would be to go for it. There so much available around apprenticeships and I truly believe there is something for everyone. Being able to gain experience, try not things and also achieving the qualification, while getting paid, its a no brainer. Especially with East Coast College, I have felt both supported and valued during my time here and confident I will grow in this role with the help of my trainer, the college and my colleagues.
What are your career hopes for the future?
I hope that once my apprenticeship is complete, I can move onto something bigger, a degree apprenticeship, and work towards become a Health and Social Care teacher. With H&SC being a subjected I did in school and college; I would love to teach and support other students who may have been in the position I was in 5 years ago.
What school did you attend?
Taverham high school
What is the name of your apprenticeship and which company are you completing it with?
City and Guild Level 3 welding and fabrication
When did you start/ when will you finish your apprenticeship?
September 2023
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
I decided to do an apprenticeship December 2022
What are you enjoying the most about your apprenticeship?
I am enjoying learning skills which I wouldn’t learn in my workshop, like MIG, stick and other fabrication tasks like forming a box to round and hexagon to round
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
Id make sure I’m the right apprenticeship for myself , I did this by going to my current place of work and seeing if I found the work they did enjoyable.
What are your career hopes for the future?
I hope to climb the ladder of where I work, doing this by learning further qualifications like CAD and becoming gas qualified.
What school did you attend?
Stalham High School
What is the name of your apprenticeship and which company are you completing it with?
Early years educator apprenticeship and the company I’m completing my apprenticeship with is St Nicholas Children’s Centre.
When did you start/when will you finish your apprenticeship?
I started my apprenticeship in September 2023 and I should finish around February/March 2025.
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
I thought I would prefer to do something where you gain more experience rather than go to college and be in a classroom environment. I also liked the idea of an apprenticeship because whilst your learning you also get paid and you gain lots of experience and knowledge.
What are you enjoying the most about your apprenticeship?
I am enjoying that I get to work with children and help them grow and develop and each day I see them develop even more.
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
If you are a considering an apprenticeship I would say go for it, it is the best thing I ever done, there are so many perks to an apprenticeship such as you get paid, you learn whilst gaining real experience and you could gain your qualification quicker than you could going to college so this allows you to progress your career even further.
What are your career hopes for the future?
In the future I hope to be a primary school teacher or continuing to work in a nursery setting but become a Safeguarding Lead and/ or a Room Supervisor.
What school did you attend?
I attended Caister High School.
What is the name of your apprenticeship and which company are you completing it with?
My apprenticeship course is Level 2 & 3 Bench Joinery, the company I am competing it with is Martham Joinery.
When did you start/when will you finish your apprenticeship?
I started my level 2 apprenticeship in August 2021 and finished in May 2023, I then started my level 3 in September 2023 and I am hoping to finish in February/March 2025.
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
I wanted to learn the necessary skills to become a joiner and produce good quality work that I can be proud of, also the skills I learn will benefit me personally for instance when I purchase my own home, I can do a lot of the work myself.
What are you enjoying the most about your apprenticeship?
I enjoy engaging with the tutors who are very knowledgeable and have helped me to develop my skills in my role, also I enjoy the practical side when we manufacture joinery products in the workshop.
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
It is a great way to get qualifications as well as on the job experience, however be prepared to sacrifice your own time if necessary to practice and revise if you want to achieve the higher marks.
What are your career hopes for the future?
I hope to continue in my role manufacturing a wide range of joinery products for our customers.
What school did you attend?
Lowestoft sixth form college/ Pakefield high school
What is the name of your apprenticeship and which company are you completing it with?
Level 3 Business administration – Midas Displays
When did you start/ when will you finish your apprenticeship?
June 2024 – December 2025
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
I was working in retail for nearly 6 years and couldn’t progress with my career as there wasn’t many opportunities to do so. I was looking for an apprenticeship to be able to further my career and to fill my desire to learn new things.
What are you enjoying the most about your apprenticeship?
Being able to have a dedicated day to go to college to learn about the course while also going to work to put my knowledge into practise. With my learning I have improved processes at work which has allowed me to further develop within my job.
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
You can learn while having a job which allows you to improve your independence. Being able to get paid while studying has allowed me to experience holidays and other life changing events. It also allows me to build up my career so I can stay within my company and work my way up the career ladder and build a relationship with my colleagues.
What are your career hopes for the future?
I will be staying at my company and working my way up within the company. Having the level 3 apprenticeship allows me to have the required grades and knowledge to be able to reach a manager’s position which I am aiming for in the future.
What school did you attend?
Farlingaye High School
What is the name of your apprenticeship and which company are you completing it with?
Business Administration apprenticeship with EDF at Sizewell C
When did you start/ when will you finish your apprenticeship?
26/08/24 – 11/03/26
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
I didn’t enjoy what I was studying at college, I dropped out without any grades to get into university, an apprenticeship seemed much more suited to me as I am only able to learn hands on deck, rather than in the classroom studying theory every day. So far it looks like I’ve made the right decision.
What are you enjoying the most about your apprenticeship?
I enjoy meeting new people who have the same goals and aspirations as me and the number of opportunities I have been offered so far!
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
I would tell that person to do it. It’s the new and improved University without the overbearing studying and moving away from home. You get to physically learn the work whilst also minimal completion of coursework. You gain lots of experience, meet new people and the most important one is so many opportunities that benefit you and your career!
What are your career hopes for the future?
I hope to gain all the qualifications I set out to do. I eventually want to have enough experience to work remotely so I can move abroad to be with my family.
What school did you attend?
Hobart High School
What is the name of your apprenticeship and which company are you completing it with?
Commis Chef Level 2
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
Chef inspired me
What are you enjoying the most about your apprenticeship?
Cooking
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
Definitely worth it
What are your career hopes for the future?
Head chef
What school did you attend?
Sir John Leman High School
What is the name of your apprenticeship and which company are you completing it with?
Commis Chef Level 2
When did you start/when will you finish your apprenticeship
Start: 07/10/2024
Finish: 06/11/2025
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
Because I want to learn whilst being in a working environment
What are you enjoying the most about your apprenticeship?
The design of food
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
Focus and listen
What are your career hopes for the future?
Own a restaurant
What school did you attend?
Benjamin Britten high school
What is the name of your apprenticeship and which company are you completing it with?
Bricklaying level 2 standard, I am working with Bagshaw Builders.
When did you start/ when will you finish your apprenticeship?
January 2023 and due to finish July 2025.
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
A levels weren’t for me, I had a summer job previously working for the family business (Bagshaw builders) and loved it therefore started the apprenticeship when I dropped out of college.
What are you enjoying the most about your apprenticeship?
Using my skills day to day feeling like I’m achieving something every day, winning an award was pretty good too.
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
Ensure its in something you take an interest to, pointless if you don’t enjoy your job. What are your career hopes for the future? to run the family business as well as my dad and grandad have previously.