{"id":17413,"date":"2021-02-08T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2021-02-08T09:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ounews.co\/?p=17413"},"modified":"2021-02-08T09:00:29","modified_gmt":"2021-02-08T09:00:29","slug":"being-an-apprentice-at-the-ou","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/student-stories\/being-an-apprentice-at-the-ou\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I started an apprenticeship in the middle of a pandemic’"},"content":{"rendered":"

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, we hear from 18-year-old Emily Hall <\/span><\/i>who started an <\/span><\/i>apprenticeship at The Open University straight from school and in the middle of a pandemic. <\/span><\/i>Almost three months in, find out how \"Apprentice,Emily is finding it, what she\u00a0<\/span><\/i>hopes<\/span><\/i>\u00a0to gain from studying alongside work, and what it\u2019s like working with a team she has never actually met…<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why did<\/span><\/b>\u00a0you<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>apply for an apprenticeship?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

My A-Levels finished in March 2020 when schools shut down due to the pandemic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>I had always known that the traditional route of study\u00a0<\/span>was not<\/span>\u00a0the best fit for me as I<\/span>\u00a0am a creative person and prefer\u00a0<\/span>practical learning.\u00a0<\/span>An apprenticeship felt like the best\u00a0<\/span>choice<\/span> for me.<\/span>\u00a0I<\/span>\u00a0could get work experience whi<\/span>l<\/span>st<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>studying<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>for<\/span>\u00a0a qualification<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What were your expectations of taking up an apprenticeship?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

I\u00a0<\/span>was not<\/span> sure what to expect when starting my role as a social media apprentice. I<\/span>t was my first ex<\/span>perience\u00a0<\/span>in a formal workplace. Also being new to remote <\/span>working, <\/span>I had a l<\/span>ot to learn.<\/span>\u00a0I knew that I would have\u00a0<\/span>a mix of study and work tasks to complete but\u00a0<\/span>was not<\/span> sure what my standard week would look like.\u00a0 I also didn’t know how much<\/span>\u00a0work there would be compared to studying.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How has it been starting an apprenticeship during the pandemic?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

It is st<\/span>range to\u00a0<\/span>start a job from home as I\u00a0<\/span>have not<\/span>\u00a0seen the\u00a0<\/span>office or team in person yet<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>However, I feel so lucky to have started this apprenticeship as it has given me\u00a0<\/span>the opportunity to\u00a0<\/span>meet so many new people<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in a time where we are a lot more isolate<\/span>d.<\/span><\/p>\n

How have you balanced the work and study elements?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

After figuring out how much work and study there is to do, I\u00a0<\/span>decided to plan<\/span>\u00a0certain times of week to dedicate to getting both done.<\/span>\u00a0I<\/span>\u00a0have found that the best way\u00a0<\/span>to do this is taking two half days a week to complete my apprenticeship study.\u00a0<\/span>This works well because everyone on my team knows that I am studying at th<\/span>ese times,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>so<\/span>\u00a0I get less emails\/meetings distracting me.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How\u00a0<\/span><\/b>have<\/span>\u00a0you been supported in<\/span>\u00a0your\u00a0<\/span><\/b>apprenticeship?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

I have had amazing support from the OU since becoming an apprentice. <\/span>I have regular catch-up calls with my Line Manager who makes sure I have everything I<\/span>\u00a0need to be successful in my course. This is also a great t<\/span>ime for me to ask any questions I may have. My team h<\/span>ave also been helpful and are always happy to call me\u00a0<\/span>and talk through the difficult tasks.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What do you hope to gain from the apprenticeship?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

As well as a qualification, I am hoping to gain a lot more confidence from the apprenticeship. Being confident is something I have struggled\u00a0<\/span>with in the past<\/span>\u00a0and talking to\u00a0<\/span>new people and having\u00a0<\/span>responsibilities is helping me\u00a0<\/span>work on that.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>I also want to learn as much as I can from people in my team and across the OU.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What have you enjoyed most so far?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

I have really enjoyed being an apprentice<\/span>\u00a0so far. My <\/span>favourite<\/span>\u00a0parts have been meeting my team and being able to create<\/span>\u00a0posts for The Open University\u2019s social media\u00a0<\/span>accounts.\u00a0<\/span>It is exciting to see something\u00a0<\/span>I have made being shared.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n