Jenna completed a Level 3 Customer Service apprenticeship with ACL, alongside her role at Essex County Council. We met up with her to talk about the impact completing an apprenticeship has had on her career development and also her personal development. “This has really supported my career development as I am able to continually develop, and apply what I’ve learnt to new projects… My tutor worked with me to help decide what modules I would like to cover and what would be beneficial to my personal development”.
Jenna has been working for Essex County Council for two and a half years, primarily focusing on candidate experience. Among her current projects, Jenna has been leading on the Autism Internship Programme which has reached the final stages of the Autism Professionals Awards for ‘Outstanding Employer’ award 2020. This is a joint nomination for the development and delivery of the Autism Internship Programme.
Why did you decide to undertake an apprenticeship?
I really enjoy learning and there was an opportunity for me to complete a Level 3 Customer Service apprenticeship programme, alongside my role at Essex County Council. I saw this as a fantastic chance to take on something new and bring what I’d learnt back into my role.
What impact has your apprenticeship on your career development?
Completing my apprenticeship programme has really built my confidence. Modules within my programme required me to write reflective reviews on work that I had completed, which demonstrated criteria within the programme. This has been a helpful technique that I have learnt that enabled me to look back at work I’ve completed and evaluate what went well, what I did well, what could have gone better and what I’ve learnt. This has really supported my career development as I am able to continually develop, and apply what I’ve learnt to new projects. Completing my apprenticeship has motivated me to continue with my learning and I am looking at further education courses.
Why would you recommend apprenticeships to other?
I’d recommend apprenticeships to others because of the great combination of practical and theory-based training, as a result of working alongside your qualification. I enjoyed being able to put into practice what I learnt and share new knowledge with my team. For me, the apprenticeship programme was designed to fit around my work commitments, so I wouldn’t let the additional work deter you from taking part.
My tutor was fantastic and very supportive of me throughout my programme. You tutor will work with you to tailor the apprenticeship course to suit you. My tutor worked with me to help decide what modules I would like to cover and what would be beneficial to my personal development, as well as deciding how I would like to complete them, whether that be exams or written work, to best suit my learning style.
ACL offers many different apprenticeships available across a wide range of industries, and for a wide variety of job roles. For more information and list of apprenticeships, please click here.