To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, we sat down with Lisa Hunt, a Lead IQA in our EPA team who’s currently doing a level five Operations/Departmental Manager apprenticeship.
As a trainer and assessor of many learners over the years, and now an apprentice herself, Lisa really has had the full 360° apprenticeship experience! So who better to ask about what it’s like to do an apprenticeship and who they’re for?
In this article, Lisa shares her apprenticeship story so far, and why she’d recommend an apprenticeship to anyone.
Can you tell us a little bit about your role and career journey so far?
I’m a Lead IQA here at FuturU, responsible for level two and three end-point assessments. I manage and support our team of assessors, moderate and review the assessments our learners take, and am involved in projects to continuously improve our processes and policies.
I joined the Health and Social Care sector back in 1998, starting as a Night Worker, then a Relief Team Leader, before working my way up to Deputy Manager. My particular area of expertise is in supporting individuals with learning disabilities, autism and challenging behaviour. Working in the sector was always something I really wanted to do.
In 2007, I got my Assessor’s Award, and began working as an in-house assessor, first at a home and then at a college.
I do miss working hands-on in care, but my role is really important – I’m the one making sure learners are adequately trained to care for vulnerable people.
What made you decide to do your apprenticeship?
I don’t think learning ever really stops. I’m always keen to develop my skills, and my natural next step is a more managerial role. I needed that experience, but wasn’t in a position to give up my salary and go to university. That’s why the apprenticeship was perfect for me.
I approached my employer at the time about the level five Operations/Departmental Manager apprenticeship, and started my learning there, before moving across to the EPA team here. During the recruitment process, I let the hiring manager know I was doing the qualification and was keen to continue with it if they were able to pay the levy. They were more than willing to.
Day-to-day, how do you juggle your learning with your job?
As part of my apprenticeship, I have to complete six hours of ‘off the job’ work per week, during my paid work time. You’re supposed to use these hours to do and learn new things and write your assignments. I’ll allocate time in my calendar for this each week.
It can be hard sometimes to juggle things, depending on how busy we are. So some weeks, I might do fewer off the job hours, and some weeks I’ll do more.
The EPA team and the wider company have been very supportive. I can ask our Head of Operations, Rebecca, questions about her role. I’m able to shadow and I’ve been given extra responsibilities to help me learn and develop my skills and knowledge.
Has doing an apprenticeship improved the way you approach your role as Lead IQA?
Absolutely – I think it’s very beneficial. It’s helped me to look at the wider picture. If an issue crops up, I can not only solve the problem, but I have an awareness of the wider implications it may have too. I can also do a better job of managing and leading our team of assessors.
Early on in my qualification, I covered emotional intelligence, and how to approach and act around others – that training’s been invaluable, especially when I’m giving constructive feedback to the team.
Why should you consider an apprenticeship, and who would you recommend them to?
There’s a myth that apprenticeships are just for people leaving school, but they’re really not. They’re a great way to develop yourself, and make yourself more attractive to potential employers, whatever your age. They can help you progress in your existing role, or explore a potential new career path too.
Unlike some other education options, an apprenticeship gives you the opportunity to learn on the job, so you don’t have to sacrifice your salary. It’s a very hands-on approach to learning – you’re not just sitting in a classroom learning theory, you’re actually out there putting your learning into practice too.
If you’re thinking about doing an apprenticeship, just go for it! It can change things for the better and enable you to do a job that you really want to do.
Thinking about an apprenticeship? You’ll find plenty of tips, guides and advice at apprenticeships.gov.uk.
