National Apprentice Week – Meet Lily

This week is National Apprenticeship Week, and the theme for this year is ‘Skills For Life’.

At NPH, we’ve employed apprentices in roles across the organisation, including our trades, planned investment, housing and communications teams.

We’re delighted to have been able to offer a number of them permanent roles once they complete their training.

We recently spoke to Lily, who joined us as a scheduling and business support apprentice and was promoted to scheduling and business support officer at the end of last year. Thanks to her incredible hard work, she achieved a distinction in her apprenticeship assessment, and so we thought her achievements fit perfectly with the theme!

Hi Lily, huge congratulations on passing your apprenticeship with flying colours and on your promotion too. So, what made you choose an apprenticeship?

“I went to college for a year, but while I was studying, I felt like I’d much rather start working instead. Maybe I was doing a course I wasn’t really interested in, but I also felt like I was still at school and I was really interested to see what being in an office environment would be like.

“I had a part-time job before where I was working with kids, so it was a big change coming to NPH, but I’m really pleased I did it. I feel like I’ve matured a lot, gained a lot of confidence and met some great people.”

How did you find studying alongside working?

“It was tough at times, I had to make sure I completed my coursework while also being busy with my work. I had regular check-ins with my mentor, who I learned a lot from, and I got the work done – I actually submitted it early in the end. I got my results just before Christmas and I got a distinction, so I’m really proud of that!”

Wow, well done Lily! That’s a fantastic achievement and shows how hard you’ve worked. What do you think the benefits of doing an apprenticeship are?

“I’d say the main benefit is getting work experience at the same time as getting a qualification. I’ve also learned a lot about myself, I always thought I was a confident person but when I started here I realised I wasn’t as confident as I thought; I found talking to people difficult. I’ve noticed how my confidence has really grown since I started, I’m a lot more sure of myself, I’m also more comfortable talking to people and dealing with customers.

“I’ve also been able to learn a lot about what our team does, and gain knowledge in different areas.

“Hopefully my distinction will help me a lot in the future too. I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I’m sure a getting a qualification in customer services will be very useful!”

We’re sure it will be, and we’re delighted you’ll be staying with us. Would you recommend apprenticeships to others?

“Definitely! I really enjoyed it, and like I said, I’ve learned a lot and gained a lot of confidence. When I decided to leave college, I thought an apprenticeship was the right next step for me and I was right. There are lots of great opportunities at NPH, and it’s a great place to work. But if the right apprenticeship for you isn’t offered here, then there are so many different opportunities that you’ll be very likely to find the right thing for you somewhere else.

“And there’s the added bonus of getting a permanent job out of it too. I wasn’t sure it was going to happen, but I was delighted to be offered it and my team were pleased I’d be staying too!”

Thanks for chatting to us Lily!