Chris Tivey

Assistant Branch Manager, Travis Perkins

I firstly enrolled as an apprentice on the serving our customers apprenticeship in 2017 alongside my role as a sales advisor, from this i picked up many skills not only from the apprenticeship workshops but also from day to day work in the branch.

Coming from a retail background with a sports coaching degree there wasn’t much opportunity for jobs out there given the fact i had little experience despite having the qualifications. This apprenticeship was the perfect opportunity to not only learn new skills but develop them at the same time.

From this course i got promoted to Assistant branch manager at the branch in November 2017. This course was a vital part of my development and helped me make that next step to promotion.

In January 2019 i enrolled for the management apprenticeship programme which will develop me as a leader at my branch and hopefully take me on my next journey as a branch manager in the near future. I have also recently been given the role as Brick Champion for the North west Region, this will give me a huge responsibility for looking after stock and brick matching on a number of big housing projects across the Northwest.

Alia Saddique

Apprentice, KPMG360° Programme

Meet Alia, she’s an Apprentice on the KPMG360° Programme based in the Manchester office.

“My name is Alia Saddique and I work at KPMG as an Apprentice working towards the ACA and CTA qualifications.

My apprenticeship has given me the opportunity to experience a range of different specialisms within KPMG including Audit, Pensions Advisory and Tax. After gaining invaluable experience across these departments, I have decided to specialise my career in Tax.

I chose the apprenticeship route as I believed it would be beneficial to complete on the job training and receive a nationally recognised qualification.

Outside of my role, I am the youngest school Governor in my district. I really enjoy this role as I can showcase the benefits of apprenticeships to young individuals. As well as this, my role allows me to gain hands-on experience of budget management, communication skills and in particular, how to handle conflict.”

Matthew Newman

Development Schemes Administrator, United Utilities

I Joined United Utilities as a “Human Resources Apprentice” at the age of 18. I decided to pursue an apprenticeship after completing college as I wanted to get into the world of work. Therefore, I joined United Utilities and I haven’t looked back since.

I completed my apprenticeship course after two years, in which I gained two qualifications in Level 3 Business Administration and Level 3 CIPD. During my time at United Utilities as an apprentice, I had the opportunity to take placements in different areas of HR,  work on numerous projects that impact the business and have the opportunity to shadow some of the senior leaders in our company.

Now I am in a substantive post, I work under the Graduate and Apprentice Team so I can support the future development of our schemes.

Sarah Holland

Level III Legal Apprentice, Forbes Solicitors

I first started Forbes straight after finishing my A – Level exams, and whilst knowing I didn’t want to go to University,  I saw Forbes as a well-known reputable firm with room for progression.  I attended a careers event and saw the apprenticeships advertised.

I started my apprenticeship journey as an office assistant in the Family Department at the Blackburn office.  At the same time as working, I also undertook my level II apprenticeship in Business Administration.  At the end of this apprenticeship level I moved to the Chorley office to be an Admin Assistant in the Housing and Regeneration (litigation) Department as this gave me more responsibility and was the next step up.

In September 2018 I became a Trainee Paralegal.  With this role I am also undertaking the CILEX level III paralegal apprenticeship which is a great opportunity and I am really enjoying it.  This apprenticeship enables me to learn new concepts which I find interesting as I did not do any law subjects at GCSE or A – Level, so it really gives me the basic knowledge I can build on whilst working in the law environment. It involves watching online webinars/ live workshops once a week alongside gathering coursework for mid-point assessments working with my assessor.  I have just recently sat my first exam in relation to introduction to law and practice and I will shortly be staring my next
module on Contract Law.

As I did not know what I wanted to do when I left sixth form, I am so happy I chose to come to Forbes.  It has opened up so many amazing opportunities that I had never thought about before and the apprenticeships Forbes offer are excellent.

Susan Simpson

Culinary Apprentice Chef, Edinburgh Marriott

Hi I’m Susan, a Culinary Apprentice Chef at Marriott.

I chose to do an apprenticeship because I wanted to be able to learn the job as I feel that is the best method for me to learn.

I did some research and from that I learnt about the Marriott Culinary Apprentice Scheme and realised that you get so much more out of it than many of the other apprenticeships out there. Another thing was that there are so many Marriott hotels all over the world meaning that when I do graduate from the Apprenticeship, I have the choice to go anywhere I want.

I enjoy the chance to get to do different things that you wouldn’t normally get to do at other places, such as helping with conference functions and events and getting to cook whenever possible. I also enjoy the support of the other staff – when I need any support or help it will always be available. Also the fact they do things such as the apprenticeship workshops are great as I can focus on certain skills and meet different people from different places to learn the different ways of cooking.

What I enjoy most about my apprenticeship at Marriott is how friendly and helpful everyone is. Also the opportunities that there are to develop my skills even further.

Jamie Arnold

Design Engineer, Superior Sealing Technology

Since starting my apprenticeship at Superior Seals in 2013, I have been able to progress through the company, landing my current role as Design Engineer. I am heavily involved with new projects for customers in a wide variety of industries, proposing the best sealing solution for their application. I will complete my Degree apprenticeship in the summer.

Lauren Poole

Marketing Apprentice / Executive, Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Currently working as a Marketing Apprentice for the RNLI, learning new skills every day! This opportunity has allowed me to grow from strength the strength within different sections of the marketing department, spending four six month rotations learning the ins and outs of marketing in a non- profit organisation. It has allowed me to progress in my career more than I could have imagined with so much support behind me the whole way. In a couple of weeks I will be starting a new role as a Marketing Executive which I am extremely excited for, whilst I do this I am studying a level 6 CIM in Professional Marketing, which allows me to come out with a degree equivalent and over 2 years marketing experience by September.

Phoebe O’Mahony

Electrical Mechanic Apprentice, Sunseeker

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do, as I went through a number of different courses or subjects not realising I needed to be in a more practical environment! As soon as I came into this apprenticeship I knew instantly this is what I wanted to do! I feel so comfortable and confident with myself and what I produce from my job! Breaking stereotypes is a big thing for me as it shows that even girls can work in a “man’s environment”.

Tony Ellender

Emerging Talent Manager, Balfour Beatty

As Emerging Talent Manager for Balfour Beatty, Tony is responsible for the design and delivery of professional development programmes for apprentices and graduates across a range of construction, engineering and support disciplines throughout the UK.

Tony joined Balfour Beatty in 1999 and has held a number of Learning and Development roles and has also been responsible for the attraction and recruitment of school leavers and graduates.

He is currently a member of the Construction Apprenticeships Working Group – led by CITB – the Cross-industry Construction Apprenticeship Taskforce and recently joined BuildUK’s CITB Reform Steering Group. He is also an Apprentice Ambassador in the North West, where he is based at Balfour Beatty’s Manchester office.

Tony is a member of the Apprentice Diversity Champions Network and heavily engaged with a number of industry and STEM initiatives at national and local levels. He is a key participant in Balfour Beatty’s Armed Forces Forum, supporting the company’s Armed Forces Covenant.

Prior to Balfour Beatty Tony was commissioned in the Royal Navy and held a number of training delivery roles at sea and ashore.

Lawrence Carr

Business Administration Apprentice, Balfour Beatty

After completing my GCSE’s I successfully applied and joined Balfour Beatty as a business admin apprentice in 2016. I worked in a logistics team studying a level 2 NVQ in Business Administration. During my first year as an apprentice I had multiple job roles, becoming progressively more managerial. Once my course was complete I was accepted into the Open University; working on a Level 6 apprenticeship studying an Honours Degree in Chartered Business Management (BA Hons).

So far I have worked in logistics, plant breakdowns, and product innovation. I now have a Business Development role working in between our Modular Business and Mobilisation Hub. Having experienced 2 ½ years of being an apprentice, and working up from my original role, I can say that I have started to become more of an advocate of development and empowerment. I am heavily involved with the Emerging Talent team, helping with events, presentations, intakes etc. I am very active on Yammer (Our internal social network) and am a #MyC ambassador for the business where I encourage others to share ideas and thoughts on all sorts of topics to continually improve the way we do things.

I am currently 13 months into my degree and hope to Graduate within the next three years. I’m still unsure of where I want to end up in the business but I know that with my degree and the level of support Balfour Beatty gives me I should be able to go down whatever route I chose.

Ethan Stevens

Civil Engineering Apprentice, Balfour Beatty

My route into Balfour Beatty was through studying Engineering at college as an alternative to A-Levels. I joined Balfour Beatty in August 2018 as a Civil Engineering Degree Apprentice. Through this apprenticeship I get the opportunity to study one day a week at university and the rest of the week working. Over the course of five years of on the job training and university study, I will have achieved a BEng in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering.

My role at Balfour Beatty is Apprentice Site Engineer. This requires me to spend most of my time on site, with some of my time spent in the office. Within eight months of working at Balfour Beatty I have had the opportunity to go on a range of training and network with the wider business. I have been given various responsibilities on and off site; this could be anything from using surveying equipment, to being responsible for the Health and Safety Dashboard. I get the opportunity to visit schools and colleges to talk about apprenticeships which helps me to develop my presentation and communication skills whilst promoting apprenticeships.

Aaron Way

Civil Engineering Apprentice, Balfour Beatty

In August 2018, after completing my A-levels (Maths, Business, PE), I joined Balfour Beatty as a Civil Engineer Apprentice. I’m seven months into my role and I’m now completing a BEH degree in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering which will take me five years to complete. Within my first seven months I’ve attended a number of training courses such as ‘Setting out for Engineers’, which has helped me improve skills needed for my role, along with university study and on-the-job training.

In my time at Balfour Beatty I’ve worked mainly with the operations team, but I have also had experience with the procurement side of things. This, along with the monthly training we receive (one of which being on commercial aspects of the business), has contributed to a wider understanding of how the business works and how I can contribute in my role. I am currently on site as an engineer, but have also spent time in the office performing engineering duties. As an apprentice I feel as though I have definitely chosen the right career path. I’m receiving beneficial formal training, but also have opportunities to use what I am being taught and shown practically in the workplace.

I hope to complete my degree within the coming years, and develop further becoming an Incorporated Engineer (IEng), and use all that I am being taught to contribute positively to my current project.

Jeevan Pansar

Legal Apprentice, Coca Cola

Jeevan Panesar joined Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) as a legal apprentice in September 2018.

He did his GCSE’s at a local school but decided to study A levels at Farnborough sixth form college. Where he achieved three A’s in Geography, English Literature and Psychology.

Doing a degree apprenticeship really appealed to Jeevan, as he finds, the best way to learn is being able to apply the knowledge he gains into a practical environment.

Jeevan’s highlight to date has been being able to attend a cross-team meeting with all of the legal departments across the 13 countries in which CCEP operates.