Today is International Women’s Day, so we continue our celebration of National Apprenticeship Week by featuring another of our female apprentices, Sophie Eyles, Team Administrator in the East, who has prepared herself for future roles by completing a Level Three – Business Administration Apprenticeship. Read on to discover what Sophie has gained from the experience.
“I’ve been employed by Landmarc since 2008 as Team Administrator at West Tofts and when the apprenticeship opportunity arose I jumped at the chance to do it. The range of skills covered throughout the course has benefitted me in my day to day job as well as preparing me for future roles.
Seeing the bigger picture
“I enjoyed developing new skills and learning how to be a more effective office administrator. I also appreciated the opportunity to interact, learn and discuss parts of the course with other parts of the business.
“The course has given me greater understanding of the whole business administration process which has really enabled me to see how the work I do fits in to the bigger picture of the business. I’ve gained an understanding of what is involved in making some business decisions and that has informed how I deal with some of the support tasks.
“I really enjoyed the unit on ‘Managing Projects’, this gave me an insight into project flow charts, process maps and Gannt Charts. It also helped me think outside the box and consider each individual step in managing a project, which resulted in the successful delivery of our annual BBQ here at West Tofts.
“The most challenging unit by far was ‘Principles of Leadership and Management’ as I had little experience of this but thanks to the course I now have a much greater understanding of management tasks.
Support throughout the process
“The course was largely self-study. Whilst I had the support of a mentor within the business who provided me some knowledge, there were areas which required more expertise. I spoke to a few managers in the region who were able to offer some advice and family and friends also provided me with some excellent guidance on the course elements.
“My course assessor visited on a monthly basis to review the work I had completed and provide feedback and guidance on moving forward through the course. They were also available on email if I had any concerns or required more guidance in between visits.
“Due to the busy nature of the office I work in, my study was split between being completed at work and at home. Although it was hard work I felt it was a very worthwhile experience.
“It is a fulfilling and rewarding process to complete, but you need to be prepared to invest the time into it. Make good use of the support network, including the course assessor, internal Learning and Development staff, mentors, managers and colleagues”.