Jobhop Jobhop's blog : Interview With Carly Cooper From 3AAA Norwich
Carly works at the 3AAA Apprenticeship Academy in Norwich and she has previously been a level 3 Business Administration apprentice.
Carly answered
some questions about whether an apprenticeship is a good alternative to sixth
form/college, her biggest struggle during her apprenticeship and has given her
best words of advice to those looking to do an apprenticeship.
A 3aaa day can be quite varied but usually, involves checking applications through the national apprenticeship website and contacting these to conduct an interview over the phone. I will then spend the day matching applicants to employers and connecting with local schools/colleges to maintain good working relationships whilst also using social media to advertise what we do.
Who was your main inspiration to
be where you are today?
My main
inspiration was definitely my family, I had always been told at high school
that unless you get A’s and B’s you wouldn’t amount to anything and by not
getting high grades I couldn’t do A Levels or go to university. My family
always told me that I could do anything I wanted if I work hard for it.
How long were you an apprentice
for?
I was an
apprentice for 2 years.
What level apprenticeship did you
study?
I studied
a level 3 Business Administration.
How easy was it to get a job once
you’d completed your apprenticeship?
Very
easy, I found that because of everything I learnt over the two years, employers
liked that from a young age I had valuable and relevant knowledge working in an
office.
What was your biggest struggle
during your apprenticeship and why?
The
biggest struggle was adapting to a new environment whilst still being quite
young, as I hadn’t worked in an office before and only in retail or hospitality
roles I found that working on reception was completely different and doing this
whilst being only 17 was difficult as I was very shy and inexperienced.
What other options did you have
after you completed your apprenticeship?
After my
apprenticeship, I decided to study further whilst also working full time at a
training provider taking on more responsibility all the time and increasing my
knowledge in the education department.
Would you say that an
apprenticeship is a good alternative to attending sixth form/college?
I believe
that apprenticeships are a fantastic alternative to sixth form and college – I
wouldn’t say that I was very academic in high school and that an apprenticeship
really allowed me to learn in a more practical way, whilst being independent
earning my own money.
What skills from your
apprenticeship have you found to be the most applicable to your current job?
From
completing an apprenticeship at a training provider I found that I learnt a
great deal about the education sector in general, what is involved in
apprenticeships behind the scenes and how they are delivered – this knowledge
has gone back 5 years for me and gave me a head start when I went into this in
my current and previous roles in education.
Have you got any words of advice
for someone currently doing or looking to do an apprenticeship?
As long
as you ask lots of questions about the role and take every opportunity possible
whilst in your role to learn as much as possible I have no doubt that you will
do great. An apprenticeship is all about learning and putting into practice
what you learn in the workplace, to take away for future knowledge.
Thank you Carly for answering a few questions for us!
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Kyria Bush Jobhop.co.uk
In:- Career