Helpdesk specialist Review

During my apprenticeship at Canon my role was resolving customers printer issues remotely. This meant the work I did day to day included picking up tickets, calling customers and discussing their issue to try and resolve it remotely. I had to work within the customers Service Level Agreement (SLA) and resolve their issue in the agreed time. I collaborated with my colleagues to come up with solutions to the issues customers were having, and always aim to provide excellent customer services.

Since starting my apprenticeship I have learnt many more skills, I have also been able to develop my existing transferable skills. I already felt I had good customer service skills, this has hugely improved during my apprenticeship at Canon as most of my work is customer focused. I started my apprenticeship with little to know knowledge of the products I needed to support. Canon has offered a wide variety of training on the printers and print solutions, which has helped with the steep learning curve. I have also improved my understanding of networking which is a skill I wished I had before I started my apprenticeship, and Canon let me explore this.

I have enjoyed every part of my apprenticeship and believe coming to Canon was the best division I’ve made. I have particularly enjoyed the freedom my team leaders have given me to invest time into parts of the role I’m passionate about. The support of my colleagues has been my favourite part of the apprenticeship experience. Everyone I’ve met has been so supportive at Canon and have been happy to help with any question I have for them. The opportunities I’ve been given by Canon for being an apprentice have made me feel valued by the business and passionate to work and learn.

I feel Canon values myself and the other apprentices I worked with very highly, with more departments considering apprentices based on our excellent experience. Any colleagues I’ve spoken to have been impressed and interested in my apprenticeship, and have praised me for my hard work. We have been invited to apprentice events, including meeting the Canon Managing Director and being presented our certificates on stage.

The day to do work I did on the helpdesk didn’t have much in the way of structure to it. This is because every day is different, this makes it hard to create much structure because you couldn’t plan ahead. The college work was structured, I had 8 units to work to do and I was handing in one every month. I also had a visit with the assessor every month to hand in my work and check that I was still happy and on track.

I had regular monthly visits from the assessor from the college, on these visits he checked my work and ensured that I was happy in my role. We also quickly went through the work for the next month together to ensure I understood it. If I needed further assistance, my assessor was always happy to reply over email to any queries.

Canon have offered me so much support during my whole apprenticeship, and have helped grow my confidence. They have supported me through both personal and work related issues, with huge compassion. I have always felt comfortable sharing my views with my team and employer and have felt confident that they’ll never judge me on these.

The salary was a very competitive rate compared to other apprenticeships in a similar field. At times the salary felt a little low as the work I was doing was the same as my full time colleagues, especially due to the level of technical knowledge I had. However, the apprenticeship offered me an opportunity I wouldn’t have otherwise had, and the year went very quickly.

Often colleagues have organised drinks or a meal outside of work, in particular at Christmas. There are also many non-work related events which take place in the office during lunch which staff are encouraged to partake in. There are also regular meetings from different departments or from the L&D team to encourage staff to learn more at work.

Yes

Canon has also been an amazing place to work, it’s a very understanding company who look to build up staff and encourage them to do their best. Everyone I’ve met at Canon has been incredibly supportive of me and has been passionate to teach me what they know. Canon is a large company with many roles available, starting in an entry level role can be an amazing springboard into big opportunities.

I believe Canon always looks for people who are passionate to learn new things, and are quick to pick up new skills. The products that Canon offers are very diverse and having a good knowledge of the main products will go a long way. I have seen that showing your personality during the interview process can be helpful, because Canon doesn’t just look for skills but also for good people.