National Apprenticeship Week is an annual celebration of apprenticeships and the impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy. Little did I know that as a fresh-faced apprentice with only three months experience under my belt, I would be entrusted with the responsibility of organising and executing the company’s events for the week. From creating the schedule, to presenting my ideas to senior management, designing the promotional materials, conducting interviews and presenting awards at our ceremony, it was an exhilarating experienced that demanded the best from me and taught me just how far my potential could go. Now, I won’t lie and say the whole thing wasn’t daunting at first, because it was. I have never done anything remotely like this in my career and I felt the pressure to make the week special as it was the first ever National Apprenticeship Week the company would be participating in as a Prime Training Provider. But, leaving my anxieties to the side, I dove head first into the task and soaked up every minute of it. Not only did I get to use what I had learned already within my role by designing posts and activities that we could participate in, but I had the biggest learning curve when I got to present my schedule to senior management, not just at my company, but at a large local company we were soon to be collaborating with.

Despite my limited experience, I was determined to prove that I could handle the responsibility that I was given, and wanted to do everything in my power to make the week a success, so, when it came to thinking of relevant activities we could participate in, I spent hours researching the past events, carefully matching the options to our company voice. Personally, my favourite post was the one I created that talks about the myths of Apprenticeships; as a provider that focuses on upskilling those already in employment, there are a lot of myths we needed to bust and this was our perfect opportunity. So whilst the theme for the week was “skills for life”, we gave ourself a unique angle by making our challenge of the week to vanish the misconception that “Apprenticeships are just for 16 year olds”

As part of the set up for the week, I even went on my first ever work trip away to London, where I had the opportunity to interview and even just talk to learners from different backgrounds, about their experiences of the apprenticeship, their achievements and greatest challenges and just how they felt about starting the learning process. The experience was thrilling, and in my best effort to do the learners justice, I poured my heart and soul into showcasing the inspiring stories and the individual personalities that shone through the conversations.

From start to finish, National Apprenticeship was an extraordinary journey that ended with Clear Quality Ltd’s first ever event that I got to organise and present. I am so grateful for the trust and support that I received from my colleagues who saw potential in me at the early stages of my apprenticeship, even if I couldn’t see it myself at first, and as I reflect on this journey, I am reminded that the choice to leave University and start this Apprenticeship was the best decision I could have made and I eagerly anticipate what lies ahead in my learning journey, still fuelled by the confidence and experience I gained from running National Apprenticeship Week.