Dionne Brown, our Finance Administrator, completed her Modern Apprenticeship in just 9 months. The average duration of such an apprenticeship lies between 12 and 18 months. We sat down with Dionne and asked her about her experience so far, what her plans for the future are as well as discussing a few challenges and highlights she has faced over the past 9 months.
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How did you manage to complete your Apprenticeship in just 9 months?
Due to the fact that it can be completed within your own time, you have control over how quickly you can finish it. An apprenticeship allows you to set aside a few hours per week during your normal working hours to work on the modules given to you. I decided to stay longer a few times after work to get my modules done because I wanted to move on as quickly as possible.
What do your future plans look like?
After having spoken to Anne (my boss), I have decided to pursue a payroll qualification. This course can be done online during your own time and can last almost 20 weeks. This allows you to study at your own pace from home or the work place. I feel that this will add a lot of value to my job as I will feel more confident when pursuing my job and I will be able to take on more tasks.
Have you faced any challenges during your apprenticeship?
In a way, I put aﾠchallenge to myself which was to finish the apprenticeship in a certain time which in retrospect I did. Another challenge was that some of the questions of my apprenticeship were not exactly tailored to my position at Contract Scotland so I had to find a way to work around that.
Looking back was this apprenticeship what you expected?
I was not sure what to expect when I started. As mentioned in my previous interview, I was not really made aware at school that those kinds of apprenticeships existed. Since I knew that university was not an option for me, I took matters into my own hands and did some research. This is when I came across modern apprenticeships. The apprenticeship at Contract Scotland was the best I came across, so I really wanted it. It took me a while to get my head around the in’s and outs of how apprenticeships work, but once you’ve got that, it’s pretty straight forward. My colleague Sophie, who did the same apprenticeship a year before me, really helped support me throughout the process.
What was one of your main highlights during your apprenticeship?
Working and gaining experience with the combination of learning something new is a daily highlight. Seeing myself progress and grow into the role has made me quite proud. Developing knowledge and then being able to hold on to it is very important and which I have managed to do. At Contract Scotland, a lot of support is offered if needed which I greatly appreciate.
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If you are interested in learning more about Dionne’s apprenticeship read her previous interview in relation to the Scottish Apprenticeship Week.
https://contractscotland.co.uk/blog/2017/march/scottish-apprenticeship-week-2017/
