Print Technician Review

The responsibilities of the role are to process all print order requests for all departments, some GP surgeries and select external health providers. Orders that cannot be processed in-house are sent to an external print supplier. Any document that doesn't meet NHS brand guidelines will not be processed and are amended before being processed.

My existing organisational skills have been improved further thus improving the output of the department. I have gained greater skills in Adobe InDesign which is the main software that is used to create the artwork. My communication skills have improved greatly and as a result, my confidence levels have vastly increased.

The apprenticeship programme has been great and that is largely down to the coaches in the apprenticeship department being great representatives for the Trust. The programme has allowed me to gain perspectives I did not have before and it has thus enabled me to approach situations in a way that the best outcome can be achieved.

The programme was somewhat disrupted due to the pandemic so, after my one in-class lesson, everything went online. The apprenticeship department adjusted well to this change even though they had never done it before. The support I received from my coach/tutor could not have been better as they were understanding and empathetic throughout. They also encouraged me to improve and maximise my output. The programme was well organised and structured as there was enough time to complete coursework before the next one was sent.

This is not a reflection of the organisation but exclusively my line manager, the support I received was minimal and distant. I was fortunate to have a fantastic apprenticeship coach who was of great help and guided me through issues I couldn't bring up with my manager or department colleagues. They also spotted safeguarding issues that I did not see and approached my manager about them. I am lucky that I had the coach I had but the other apprentice coaches are also great.

My apprenticeship coach and the learning and development department as a whole have been faultless. My coach has been a great support throughout the course, especially during the pandemic, both in terms of better understanding of the course material so I could give good answers for the coursework and also with any issues that arose in my department my coach was eager to help. It has been thoroughly enjoyable.

I think the apprenticeship has most definitely helped with my day-to-day role as my approach to tasks and situations has improved due to the greater perspective I now have which I have learned on the course. My communication skills have improved to a great extent, which is essential as a large part of my role involves communicating with both internal colleagues but external suppliers/stakeholders.

Due to the pandemic, in-person extracurricular activities have been limited. I am involved in the Green Impact programme to introduce more sustainable initiatives into my department but also into my personal life. This both improves the environment but also your health and wellbeing. This brings together like-minded colleagues fairly regularly, which is nice as it is great to meet colleagues from departments that I would normally unlikely cross paths with.

Yes

There are a lot of opportunities for progression and you are most definitely encouraged to take up further training if you want it, which would then better the service of the department you are in. Often people think the NHS is just doctors and nurses but there are a myriad of roles so there would be something for everyone.

If after looking at the job description you think you are missing a few requirements, it is not the end of the world as it may be possible that training can be provided so that you can attain them. You could perhaps do some voluntary work to attain those criteria if you so choose. For interviews, be honest, sure you may not have it all but try to research what it is that you may lack and how you would overcome that. Show proactivity.