My apprenticeship lets me apply what I have learned from my management studies in my day-to-day job, in the OU’s business development unit. It’s a key reason why I wanted to be an apprentice. I’m entering a brand new professional environment in Milton Keynes that can be really technical in nature, and yet I know I’m gaining the academic input and analytical skills to cope. I’ve seen myself growing in confidence and skills as an individual quite quickly, which I wasn’t expecting.
Communication and professional speaking skills are another gain. When I started attending business management meetings, I didn’t know if what I was going to say was correct or useful. I mainly just listened and attended a few face-to-face meetings at first. But with input from my studies, supported by my regular one-day-a-week OU online tutorials and seminars and private study, my confidence increased and I began to know what I was talking about.
In fact, a few months in, I was asked to accompany the OU’s vice-chancellor to meet Greg Clark, the secretary of state for business, environment and industrial strategy, about apprenticeships and the sort of careers advice I got at school! Before going to the OU, if I had thought I’d ever be doing that I’d have been absolutely scared off.
Then I was asked to write a report on future trends in work-based learning, which gave me the freedom to speak face-to-face with senior OU directors, build up my confidence and show them my ideas – one of them was an online education platform, using Blockchain (a type of database), to safely store an individual’s learning record. It was quite an “out there” idea but a director told me it had really got management thinking.
My time management has improved a lot – I can get my academic work done on my Friday study days and weekday evenings, and still have weekends free.
Financially, I’m much better off than my peers. The whole degree is paid for, which is a massive bonus when I think of my friends at university facing debts of £40,000 or more while I get paid a decent salary.
Exposure to all areas of the business has also helped shape my career ideas. From my initial vague idea of working in business, my overview of the organisation has guided me in a financial direction. Knowing what I want to do at 19, with a career ahead of me, puts me in a strong position to see and take opportunities compared with many other people of my age.
To find out more about OU degree apprenticeships, visit open.ac.uk/business/apprenticeships
