For many people, starting an apprenticeship can be a daunting but exciting prospect. It is a very different experience to learning at school, in college or university. You are learning as you work, which has enormous advantages.
If you are thinking about or soon to embark on a leadership and management apprenticeship, here are my top tips for being a successful apprentice and getting the most out of your programme:
1. Record everything and do it regularly. Leaving your log of off-the-job time for 6 weeks will feel really daunting. Try to make space every week to update these.
2. Little and often is a great strategy for CPD. Listening to a 10 minute podcast on your way to work every day is over an hour a week of time you can log, that takes very little effort.
3. Use your phone. Most of us carry it round all of the time, use it to take photos of evidence or record someone giving you some instant feedback. It can be really useful to get evidence in this way.
4. Look for opportunities. Where can you spend some time shadowing someone, or go to a meeting to listen where you wouldn’t normally? This will all help as you look to progress up the career ladder.
5. Be honest with your coach, they are on your team! If things are difficult, tell them, they want to help and support you and so often a quick chat can resolve most things.
Sian Duffin
Quality Coach at Fuel Learning
