Apprenticeships aren’t just for school leavers

To help explain what life is like as an apprentice at Camelot, we’ve called in the help of some of our people who are currently studying apprenticeship programmes. During this interview they share some insight into their experience.

Throughout the interview, we speak with Charlotte Rice (Retail Projects Executive), Joanna Lanza (Senior Resilience Coordinator), Phil Rampley (Senior Team Manager) and Michael Buttleman (Resourcing Business Partner) - who are all studying apprenticeships at Camelot.

Let’s meet them!

What qualification are you studying for?

• Charlotte: Level 3 Chartered Management Institute Apprenticeship
• Joanna: CMI Team Leader Level 3 Apprenticeship
• Phil: Level 5 Operational and Departmental Management
• Michael: Level 5 Step into Leadership Apprenticeship

Why did you choose an apprenticeship?

• Charlotte: Because people management has always been something that I’ve wanted to pursue.
• Joanna: Because I wanted to personally develop and progress my career.
• Phil: Because I’m very keen on personal and professional development.
• Michael: To develop my leadership skills alongside lots of other great leaders in the business who I really respect.

Tell us about the highlight of your apprenticeship?

• Charlotte: I’ve met people from across the business who are also doing that same course as me that I might not have met beforehand, so that’s been really nice.
• Joanna: Getting to know people around the business who have the same goal that I do.
• Phil: Sharing experiences and knowledge with other people on the course. It’s great that we get to bounce off each other during monthly workshops.
• Michael: Understanding some of the theory behind different leadership styles and when they’re most effective.

What has been your biggest challenge whilst studying your apprenticeship?

• Charlotte: Changing my ways of working to demonstrate skills of leadership and management. I’ve had to think differently and work more collaboratively to get evidence of showing these behaviours.
• Joanna: Being able to juggle working from home, homeschooling, being a mum and a wife.
• Phil: Balancing the needs of my team and the rest of the business whilst also making sure I’ve always got dedicated time to do the learning.
• Michael: Getting back into the pattern of attending seminars and essay writing. University was quite a long time ago for me!

And finally… what 3 words would you use to sum up your apprenticeship:

• Charlotte: Challenging, thought-provoking and exciting.
• Joanna: Hard, challenging and (most of all) rewarding.
• Phil: Challenging, insightful and thought-provoking.
• Michael: Interesting, varied and motivating.

It’s great to hear first-hand from our apprentices! Find out more by watching their interviews in video format here.