Leaving school and jumping straight into an apprenticeship might sound daunting, but from the moment you begin, you’ll realise that it doesn’t have to be all that scary! In fact, with the help of mentors like Claire Monaghan, Business Support & Facilities Manager at 3173, you’ll quickly see that everyone is there to bring out the best in you and ensure that you thrive.

Claire talked to us about her experience as a mentor of the 3173 apprenticeship scheme…

“At 3173, our culture is very much about encouraging and supporting people to be successful, which feeds very well into our Apprenticeship Scheme.

We first got involved with Workplus and the Apprenticeship Scheme last year, and have two apprentices working with us in the business, including one who works in Business Support with me.

I have loved seeing our apprentices grow and thrive within our business. Our workplace is a new environment for them, but it has been fantastic to watch their confidence grow, even our Chief Executive has commented on how much they have developed since starting with us. There are lots of opportunities within 3173 that would fit the skillsets of the young people joining us. The apprentices might start in a particular team, but there is a lot of scope for them to progress and work in another area, from finance to HR, or even within our software team.

As a mentor and a manager, I feel that my role is to help my apprentices to feel valued and help them to succeed in their roles. However, another big part of my role is to help them recognise the value they are adding to our business from day one. Our apprenticeships are very well aligned with the courses they are studying at the moment, so there are so many opportunities to put their learning into practice which is great for the business as a whole.

Our apprentices have worked with colleagues at every level of the business, across every team right up to the director level, and we ensure that they have the chance to do this as much as possible.

My biggest takeaway from this scheme has been seeing my apprentice, Leah, join the business with no experience in this environment whatsoever. She comes from a background of working in a bar and restaurant, so she had great communication and people skills. However, she is bringing those into our business, while learning in an entirely different environment. So many people have said to me that they can’t believe she is an apprentice and that she has only been with us for six months, because of how successful she is and how her confidence has grown.”

What would you say to someone thinking of applying?

“If you’re thinking of applying for an apprenticeship at 3173, I’d say go for it! Come and talk to us, let us talk you through the opportunities within the business and show you how you can not only contribute to us, but also how we can help you with your own development, and set you up for success in your future career. We will support you, put your skills to use in the business and allow you to continue to study and get qualifications, whilst putting those studies into practice on a day–to–day basis.”  

Click here to find out more about the opportunities available at 3173