This National Apprenticeship Week, we’re celebrating some of our Chemring apprentices, who are working towards different levels of apprenticeship, and sharing their experiences of an apprenticeship and what it has offered them.
Meet Jo, HR Advisor at Roke, who is currently working towards her CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management.
“This is my second apprenticeship, as I completed my CIPD Level 3 apprenticeship in 2023 with Roke. Three years ago, before my apprenticeship, I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I’ve already been fortunate enough to have had a lot of development in a relatively short amount of time.
“A CIPD qualification is a really valuable thing to have for HR Professionals. I’ve personally found that it gives you a good grounding and foundation to your day job. For example, I’ve had modules focused on employment law, project management, and corporate social responsibility, all of which have added a lot of wider context to what I do on a day-to-day basis. I’ve found that this brings a lot of meaning and value to my role and more motivation.
“I spend 20% of my work time off the job, which essentially refers to anything that isn’t my day job, including studying, working on assignments, wider reading and external events like conferences. I attend one or two workshops with my provider at least every month, with assignments that follow. I also have regular check-ins with my tutor where we run through my progress.
“I’ve found a lot of the subjects I’ve studied so far very interesting and relevant. I’ve also enjoyed the flexibility of my apprenticeship. However, sometimes things get very busy and it’s tricky to balance everything - but I’ve got better at managing my time over the last couple of years.
“My advice to new apprentices is to work with your apprenticeship manager or other equivalent person to find a good provider. Your experience can vary widely depending on provider, even for the exact same qualification. Your apprenticeship manager will be able to find one that suits you, the team, and the organisation to give you the best experience possible.”