I am the Managing Director of Sales and Marketing for Revive UK, a business that repairs minor damage on cars. We operate on a national basis and have around 50 franchises and 200 technicians.
I decided to do an apprenticeship as I think it’s really important to continue to learn all the time. I don’t think businesses or the individuals running businesses should stand still if they want to evolve and succeed.
I chose this particular apprenticeship for several reasons.
Firstly, it offered me the right level of qualification, and I plan take the additional modules to top up to a Masters in Executive Leadership, after completing my current Executive Leader apprenticeship course.
Secondly, the course content is really interesting and useful. Everything is relevant to my job and the business, for example digital transformation, innovation, leadership skills and finance.
Thirdly, it has provided the opportunity to meet with peers – people working in different businesses and sectors.
It also helps that this is a government-funded opportunity. It can be difficult for businesses to finance training, both in terms of staff time and costs, so the support that comes with the funding makes a difference.
Studying alongside working can be tricky, but because I’m interested in and enjoying what we’re learning, it’s exciting as well as challenging. One of things I have found really useful is the timeframe – at a year long, it’s relatively short which can create more pressure but it helps keep your motivation up. It’s long enough to delve into a subject but still be a realistic commitment.
I think some of the topics we are covering could be quite tricky to teach, such as finance, but the lecturers are very skilled and the feedback they give is really good. Everything we learn is either strengthening your existing knowledge or helping you look at things in a different way. The fact you have to write an assignment helps reinforce the learning.
As well as regular webinars, the fact we’ve been able to meet up once a module has been really helpful and positive – you can connect with the other apprentices - the people going through the same challenges.
I would really encourage others to do an apprenticeship; at our organisation, we’re keen on evolving and keeping on getting better. I am already coming out of this with information that makes me a better leader and manager, and I have information to share with my colleagues.