Business support apprentice Review

My role is as a business support apprentice in the Mental Health Service at St Mary’s hospital for Solent NHS Trust. I provide administrative support to the service across different sites and work with my team to ensure our patients receive the best service. I also greet patients on reception and make sure that they are happy.

Even though I have only been in the role for 3 weeks, I have already learnt and developed new skills. I have learnt about all the new systems, such as system one and the stationary/equipment system. I have also learnt about the procedures in place to complete tasks. In the role, I have developed in my customer service and call handling skills.

I am really enjoying the role and programme so far. My team are very supportive and they listen to my ideas/help. I have already started having internal training with NHS Solent and external with the Chichester College group. I feel like the role will help me to develop and learn new skills.

The programme has lots of different tools to stay organised. They use outlook which organises emails and meetings in a very clear, concise way. They also ensure that everyone has the correct equipment they need. Before I started, I was already submitted for meetings about my apprenticeship and role. They are also very good at communicating, which helps to organise what I need to do.

I receive lots of support from my employer. My manager is very supportive and ensures we have weekly catch ups to make sure I am happy. I also have support from my team, who are always willing to help and teach me. My employer has also provided with me with a mentor, who is there to help and give me advise.

I receive lots of support from my training provider. I have an assessor who is friendly and is available whenever I have any questions. They also gave me support when they, my employer and myself decided to amend my apprenticeship from level 2 customer service to level 3 business administration, which will help and develop me more. The training provider also has teams to help with my wellbeing e.g counselling.

The business administration qualification is going to help me a lot to perform better in my role. It has all the relevant modules, which link to my role. For example, communication in a business environment, managing personal effectiveness in an administrative role and many more. I also believe that having that extra support, will help me feel more confident in my role.

There are a couple of extra curricular activities to get involved in at my work but unfortunately currently none of them are running due to coronavirus restrictions. However, me and my team are going to be taking part in a exercise programme to help us keep fit and positive. It will also bring out some healthy competition.

Yes

I would recommend the NHS as an employer for lots of different reasons. The first is that everyone I have encountered is a a friendly and helpful person. They also are really willing and able to help someone develop and progress on their role. There are also lots of different benefits working for the nhs e.g discount

The best bit of advice I would give is to be positive and willing to learn. I would also encourage people to be determined and ensure that they will be happy to deal with diverse situations. You also have to have the ability to work as a team and work independently