To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, an annual event that takes place across England celebrating the positive impact apprenticeships have on individuals, we sat down with two Carter Brown, part of Antser employees, Danielle Thorley and Kirsten Reeves, who are currently completing a Supervisor and Team Leader apprenticeship.
Three months into a 16-month apprenticeship course, Danielle and Kirsten share how their journey has been to date.
How did this apprenticeship opportunity come around?
With Kirsten joining the team back in 2018 and Danielle joining the team in 2017, the apprenticeship opportunity first came about in their supervision sessions with their managers.
“During my career, I was Psychology Advisor to the North Lincolnshire Adoption Panel and often came across reports from Carter Brown Associates and I always thought they produced high quality work.” – said Danielle.
Why did you want to do an apprenticeship with Carter Brown?
Kirsten said: “I graduated university in May 2018, and I had that typical experience where I applied for jobs and I wasn’t successful. So, after some research and interviewing for a Case Handler job, I actually got offered a brand new role at Carter Brown so I was very honoured by that.
“Once I was in my current position, it was recommended that I did the apprenticeship and not only was I flattered that it was recommended to me, but it was very appealing that we get a physical qualification at the end.
“I knew I wanted more responsibility and to progress as much as possible so when the idea of an apprenticeship came about, it seemed so fitting and natural for me to achieve that goal.”
Danielle said: “I had done an apprenticeship when I left school, working as a recruitment consultant and I thought it married quite well with my current job at Carter Brown. The main reason why I wanted to do an apprenticeship was because of the ability to do additional training. I had mentioned this to my manager and when this course was suggested, I thought it was a great way to achieve this.”
How have you found your apprenticeship journey so far?
Kirsten said: “One of the requirements for the apprenticeship is that it needs to be completed during working hours so I let my manager know as and when I will be working on my apprenticeship and that has allowed me to balance my workload. The team has been so supportive so that has hugely helped with the progression of my apprenticeship.”
Danielle added: “It has gone really well so far and as it is an online course, even if I am in the office, I am able to complete it remotely. As our days can get quite busy, the team has been really helpful and understanding, allowing me to dedicate more time to complete my coursework.”
What are you looking forward to doing in your apprenticeship with the remaining time you have left?
Danielle shared: “I am looking forward to learning more theories and structures because already there are so many things that I never knew before, so I am really looking forward to expanding my knowledge and understanding.”
Kirsten said: “I am looking forward to having more opportunities to implement what we learn. In my current role I don’t have much flexibility to do managerial tasks, so doing this apprenticeship gives me an opening for a taster of what management would be.”
Is there any advice you would give to others looking to follow in the same footsteps as you?
Danielle shared: “Time management. You need to prepare and allow yourself time to do your day-to-day work as well as work for your apprenticeship.”
Kirsten added: “You need to think about what course and the reason why you want to do an apprenticeship. If you are doing it solely for material gain, then you need to really think about if it is the right course for you. However, if you want to do it for your own personal growth then I say, go for it as you won’t regret taking a chance to improve your skills and experience.”
Speaking on their apprenticeship journey to date, Amy Callaghan, Operations Manager at Carter Brown, said: “We are so proud at how far both Danielle and Kirsten have come in just these past three months.
“As colleagues at Carter Brown, we are delighted to have two members of the team who are so dedicated and enthusiastic at furthering their skillset, knowledge and futures at Carter Brown. We can’t wait to see how the remaining time of their apprenticeship unfolds.”
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