My Experience

My Experience at The Apprentice Store

I am now on my sixth week of work experience with The Apprentice Store and have recently been given certain tasks I need to do each week, such as a 500 word article for the end of each week on whatever topic I think is appropriate and then followed by eight posts relating to the chosen topic I’m working on for The Apprentice Store social media, these are to be written one week then posted the next. It’s all in preparation for the coming week.

Last week was about Office 365 and why businesses would benefit from it which was tricky to write about because I’m not the most experienced person other than the basics like Word, PowerPoint etc. but I think I did reasonably well, considering.

Having the social media focus and knowing exactly what’s expected of me helps a lot with my focus. I find if I know what I must do before I’m even at the office then I’m already thinking of ideas and what I should write and can get straight to it and never ask myself what next or what now? Especially as they are topics I’m interested in or feel it’s necessary to write about them.

Another reason to write about my work experience is to give an insight into what it could do for anyone interested in an IT career path like an apprenticeship. So, even if you don’t have years of experience or past IT experience as long as you show the aptitude to be able to learn and the will and drive to do so you could be in for a chance of landing an Apprenticeship in IT which has so many different sectors you could look at so it’s more than likely to find a position that’s right for you.

The current apprentice here at The Apprentice Store, Matthew is getting the opportunity to go to Glasgow for courses to broaden his skills for three weeks stretched between July and August which is all paid for by Skills Development Scotland and his employer The Apprentice Store, the trip can even give Matthew some independence and let him experience what it’s like being completely independent in an unfamiliar city.

My time at The Apprentice Store has also made me more confident, able to articulate discuss any problems or ask questions I might have. This just got easier as time went on because of how pleasant it is to work here, me and Matthew are different in respect to how we get things done and different personalities and discipline but having talked to him regularly I’d say were pretty good friends which is crazy considering.

David and Matthew have been incredibly nice too. For example taking me Go-Karting at the Inverness Kart Raceway, another Social Enterprise, for my birthday, what made it better is that I didn’t expect it at all and Matthew and I had never been before so we both aimed to beat David and failed.

Being here has been the most enjoyable work environment in my opinion and would recommend The Apprentice Store to anyone looking for an apprenticeship or even just a taste of IT and getting to know what it can offer with work experience. It is 100% worth trying.