National Apprenticeship Week 2021

Maisie’s Apprenticeship Story

“I joined Step One in September 2019, as an apprentice. As of January 2021, my job role is HR and Training Administrator.

I completed my degree in History at Plymouth University and tried a few jobs after Uni, but I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do and quickly realised that having a degree doesn’t actually open a lot of doors for you!

I had a bad experience with a job I took which knocked my confidence massively. Then I came to Step One!

I chose the apprenticeship because I needed the confidence and I felt it would be good to learn work-related skills. I had left my previous job feeling like I wasn’t good at anything and in a way really just wanted to start from scratch again. I also knew I wanted to work for a charity and that’s why I applied at Step One.

I liked that I gained so many skills and grew in confidence. Step One and Exeter College really wanted the best for me, and I felt that the whole way through my apprenticeship. I’ve also met some of the best people along the way.

My current role is as HR and Training Administrator. I’ve been doing it for just over a month now and I’m really enjoying it – I’ve already learned so many new skills in such a short amount of time. It’s a great opportunity and I can finally see a career happening for me!

Everything I learnt from my apprenticeship I have taken into my current role – from the practical skills I gained at College to learning all aspects of the organisation. Doing admin allows you to get to know every part of the business and so going into my new role I have so much knowledge of how everything works.

I’ve received so much support from Exeter College and Step One that nothing has ever been really tricky. I am quite an anxious person and have struggled with that at times, but with all the support I have received I was able to deal with that and get on top of it.

To anyone thinking about an apprenticeship, I would say do it! They’re a great way of learning new skills that you can take forward throughout your life and will open so many doors. I wish I had done an apprenticeship sooner!”