The Most Issue 2

MEET PAIGE Paige has recently joined Preferred Locums as their newest apprentice and is studying Business Administration. Here she explains why she chose an apprenticeship; the journey from application to job offer, and how she has quickly become a fully-fledged member of the Preferred Locums team, during what has been a very unsettled 2020! “Choosing an apprenticeship was the more appealing option for me over further education because I prefer to learn in a work environment rather than paper based learning. The Business Administration apprenticeship appealed to me as it enables me to learn all the different aspects that the job entails, which in turn will give me an opportunity to specialise in the future. At first I felt that an apprenticeship was difficult to find but after reaching out to Preston’s College I was constantly being signed up for job roles. The process was filled with ups and downs but I was put at ease after I began my job search with their apprenticeship team who put me forward to interviews to help me get the best job. The most difficult part of finding an apprenticeship was finding one that best fit my qualities. I looked through each job description to see what job would suit me best. Finding one that suited me was difficult, but the apprenticeship team always sent me vacancies that matched my specific interests. Without the help of the apprenticeship team I don’t think I would have known where to start! I was constantly being booked into interviews and there was always a wide range of vacancies to choose from. Steve was the best help for me and always did his best to get every single job interview possible! When I got my apprenticeship, the team were amazing when it came to starting up and sorted all my paperwork, making the process less stressful. If I was to go through the process again, I would be more prepared for the interviews; expand on answers, research questions that could be asked and also the company, and ask lots of questions as this was the reason why I missed out on job opportunities. My ‘Top Tip’ to anyone looking for an apprenticeship is to be patient. All the hard work will pay off in the end, you might only have one interview or 20, but in the process of those 20 you will gain lots of skills that will be helpful for the future such as communication skills and confidence. After about five interviews, I got a job that was suitable for me in the health industry. After I received the call to say I got the job, I felt a mix of relief and excitement as I was entering the real world of work. I have just started my apprenticeship journey and I’ve never been happier. I’ve settled in so well with everyone in the office and I am learning new skills every day. The apprenticeship is definitely the best decision I made. Yes, the first day was very nerve wrecking, but all the other workers made me feel so welcome and I got right into learning the basics of what is required for the job. On a day to day basis, I start by checking and replying to emails received after I finished the day before. I then do jobs assigned to me by the other workers such as payment issues. I just want to say thank you to Steve from the apprenticeship team for always helping me to succeed and doing his best to get me as many opportunities as possible.” | 24