By Lisa Fairbrother, Business Administration Apprentice at Valentine Occupational Health Limited
At the age of 32 I didn’t think that starting an apprenticeship would be something I could do… I was wrong!
Apprenticeships are commonly thought to just be a way for school or college leavers to learn a trade or skill and earn money at an organisation, whilst still being in some sort of education – I thought this too. But I quickly learnt that this was not the case: ‘an apprentice is a person who is learning a trade from a skilled employer’… nowhere in this definition is an upper age limit.
I had absolutely no experience in this type of role before starting my apprenticeship, as I had previously worked within the care sector. I worked in this industry for over 10 years and I struggled with the shifts/unsociable working hours whilst raising 2 young children. I felt that I needed a more progressive role, a role that I could build on and that would grow as I grew. This is when I decided I needed a change in career, somewhere I could learn these new skills and could see the progress within that new role.
I did a lot of research on possibilities and ways to get into a more progressive role in Business Administration. The more I searched, the more I learnt about the possibility of doing an Adult Apprenticeship, which I had heard nothing about.
The Adult Apprenticeship is aimed at people aged 25 and over. Much like regular apprentices – normally aged 16-24 – it gives people the opportunity to earn as you learn, both on site and one day-a-week at college, until becoming fully qualified in the chosen field. This was especially important to me, as I could not go to a college full-time whilst having two young children to feed and a house to pay for. This started to look more and more like a genuine alternative and so I attended an open evening at my local college to get some further information and get an idea of what to expect in an apprenticeship. The staff were extremely welcoming and had lots of useful information – I must admit that I did feel very sceptical because of my age but the staff reassured me. They told me that it was not uncommon for adults to do these courses and I was told that some employers actually prefer a more mature candidate due to having more life experiences.
I never thought for one minute that I would be leaving that open evening with a potential interview, but I did. The application process was very straight forward. I then had to go into the college and sit an initial assessment for Maths and English and hand my CV in, and it was as easy as that. The apprenticeship adviser at the college did it all from there, she sent over my CV and arranged an interview date for me – it really was as easy as that!
I am now an apprentice studying Business Administration for an Occupational Health Company and I honestly cannot recommend an apprenticeship enough. I am now gaining skills and new experiences with a company I love whilst earning, meaning I did not have to worry about the financial implements of being a full-time college student.
For anyone (of any age) who is looking at a career-path change I would highly recommend that they consider doing an apprenticeship in the field of their choice. There are thousands of apprenticeship options out there and it seems to be the most logical way to get into a field of your interest, especially if you could not afford to take time out of work to become a college student.
I’m excited to complete my apprentice and to see what the future holds.
Lisa Fairbrother
