Employee apprenticeships for current staff
I have worked at the University since 2014 within Careers Services, moving into my role as a Careers Consultant in 2019. My role involves delivering career development learning to students in workshops and lectures, working closely with academics and departments across the Faculty of Science and Health to support their students with developing employability skills and meeting with students in 1-2-1 careers guidance appointments. I really enjoy working with our students and helping them to transition into the world of work after their course.
I started a Level 6 Career Development Professional apprenticeship in September 2022. The apprenticeship is delivered by Ixion, a national, not-for-profit, provider of skills and education which includes delivery of apprenticeships. I am due to finish in summer depending on how quickly I progress through the final stages.
I had been looking for a way to undertake a higher-level careers guidance qualification for a while but felt that the options I had seen didn’t suit me. After reading in Essex Weekly that the University’s employee apprenticeship scheme could support existing staff to take apprenticeships and that they were fully funded and flexible, I thought I’d find out more. Through my research into apprenticeship standards I found the level 6 career development professional standard and was sold on it when I found out it enabled you to gain a level 6 Careers Guidance qualification with the Career Development Institute. I contacted Claire Cross, who is the Employee Apprenticeships Manager at Essex, and she helped to identify providers of this particular apprenticeship. After comparisons of a few options, I decided to go with Ixion as it appeared the most flexible, well delivered and suited to my needs.
As an experienced member of staff, I understood before starting that there were some things within the apprenticeship that I already know or do within my role. However, the apprenticeship offered the chance to consolidate my knowledge, develop some more understanding of theory behind the practice and to learn from other careers professionals in a variety of sectors. This has also impacted my work at Essex and there are practical things that I’ve learnt which I’ve already put into practice here. The feedback I’ve received from my Training Assessor at Ixion has been extremely valuable and the qualification has enhanced my credentials as a careers professional and given me more confidence in approaching my role.
The most rewarding part of the apprenticeship, surprisingly, has been being observed by my Training Assessor in guidance appointments with students. This has given me feedback on what I was doing well and areas of potential improvement and exploration. It’s really allowed me to step back and reflect on my approach.
If you want to develop your skills and knowledge within your role then I’d recommend searching the apprenticeship standards and speaking to the Employee Apprenticeships Manager. These are fully funded opportunities and many offer the chance to complete an industry recognised qualification. Remember there are apprenticeships at all levels (up to level 7 – equivalent to a masters), so even if you are experienced or a senior member of staff, there could still be opportunities for you. If you find an opportunity, take some time to consider the different providers, some are more flexible than others and provide different types of support. It’s worth meeting with them to discuss this before signing up to anything.
You can find out more about Employee apprenticeships at Essex on our Staff Directory.