Business Administration Apprentice Review

I work in the recruitment team and my day starts off by putting candidates into review on NHS Jobs. I then check and respond to any messages from candidates, as well as check the team recruitment inbox for anything that may have been marked under my name, and promptly respond to those. I check on NHS Jobs to see if we have any vacancies being put out today, and respond to queries throughout the day as well as attend frequent meetings.

I have already learnt so many new skills being on this apprenticeship, as well as developing my existing skills. I have learnt about how to be professional within an office environment, how to correctly format emails, telephone manner and being polite to both internal and external people. I have taken training courses to develop my personal effectiveness and management skills in order to be more organised and better equipped for the job I am doing.

I really enjoy working for Solent NHS. My team and everyone I have met within the organisation are incredibly supportive and have gone out of their way to make new starters feel welcome and to support all colleagues. There is a massive emphasis on employee mental health within this organisation which I love. It went above and beyond my expectations and so far has been an incredible place to work.

My programme is really well structured, especially considering Covid implications. My induction was really well run and my first few weeks were clearly thought out and were very organised and informative. We got to meet many different people from different departments which I found really insightful. My managers have been very supportive and have been really organised and helpful.

I receive an incredible amount of support from my employer. My line manager really cares about my self improvement and progress within the organisation, as well as my mental health, encouraging me to take regular breaks from my work and not get too overwhelmed. There are many employee support programmes put in place for Solent NHS employees which I have taken advantage of.

My tutor is incredibly supportive when working towards my qualifications. She is accessible through email and responds to queries quickly. She gives me detailed feedback on any work I submit, and we have regular meetings to discuss my personal progress, in which I can ask her any questions and talk about if I need any extra support.

I feel like my qualification definitely helps me to perform better in my role as I have been able to put the theory into practice, for example we learnt about professionalism in the workplace for one of my topics, and this helped me when I was going into the office in person.

There are lots of good extra-curricular activities to get involved with in my work. My team have organised to go out for lunch one day, there are regular Zoom meetings every week to discuss general life topic, and my team have daily morning catch-ups to check up on everyone and see where we're at in terms of workload as well as general life.

Yes

It has been an incredible place to work for me so far. I have only worked here for a month and I feel like I have already built so many connections with people within the trust. Managers are supportive, organised and truly care for you, your progress and your wellbeing. You are trusted to get on with the work and are treated the same as everybody else. It is a fantastic, fair and enjoyable place to work.

My advice would be to take any opportunities you get. The NHS is incredibly varied with so many roles, there is something suitable for everyone. There are always many opportunities to progress and managers are incredibly supportive with this. The application process is easy and simple, and there will always be teams that are able to help you with this process.