Katie Ennis - Community Services Apprentice

What did you do before starting the apprenticeship?  

I was completing my University course and working in retail full time.  

Why did you apply for the scheme?  

I applied as I wanted to work for the Local Authority. I also applied for a different apprenticeship role, even though I didn’t get that role the interview was great experience and I felt more prepared when I went for a second interview.  I did very well in the interview and I was offered the job! 

What development have you had since being with RCT?  

As I am completing my NVQ Level 3, Business and Administration I continue to learn every week, I have increased my ICT skills as well as my communication skills. The Local Authority offer so many learning opportunities on ‘The Source’, for example, being administrative support, I am required to take minutes of the meeting, which I had never completed before, and ‘The Source’ offers a free minute taking course, which I found very useful and beneficial to my role. 

What were the highlights?  

The highlights so far have been my personal and professional development. At the start of my apprenticeship, I felt as though I had so much to learn in such little time, however I was completely wrong, as with all the support from my team and the Employment, Education and Training team, I felt at ease and was able to develop the appropriate skills fairly quickly. 

Recommendations to Applicants: 

• Make sure to use the best examples for your competencies.
• Try your best during the assessment interview, as well as the second interview
• Don’t le`t it get you down if you didn’t get the job you applied for, you can always apply again!