TGt Meets...Phoebe Hooper

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, we'd thought it would be brilliant to ask Phoebe, who has newly finished her apprenticeship with us, a few questions about what it's really like working and completing an apprenticeship at the same time!

Why did you choose an Apprenticeship over university? 

An apprenticeship was always something I was interested in doing once I had finished studying at college. I’ve always loved the idea of going straight into work and doing a job that I have a huge passion for. I have always been interested in learning new skills therefore, an apprenticeship was the perfect choice for me as it meant I could get the opportunity to be a part of an incredible team, experience work life and gain new qualifications.

How did you decide which Apprenticeship to do? 

I was part of an agency that contacted me when there were apprenticeship vacancies available that were suitable for the type of role I was interested in doing. When the agency contacted me about the job role that I now currently do, I knew it was something that I was incredibly interested in and would love therefore, I was eager to apply for the role. 

What are the benefits of doing an Apprenticeship? 

There are many beneifts of doing an apprenticeship but one of the main benefits is being able to do on the job training whilst earning and gaining new qualifications and experiences.

How do you spend your free time? 

I love socialising with friends by going for drinks and dinner.

What’s the hardest part about doing an Apprenticeship? 

What I find most hard about doing an apprenticeship is trying to manage and balance my time effectively with coursework and work. I get incredibly focused with work and therefore, can find it hard finding the time to complete my coursework. What's really helpful is having college days which gives me dedicated time to completing my college work, which helps me stay on target with my apprenticeship work.

What has doing an Apprenticeship meant for you as a person? 

Doing an apprenticeship has helped me in multiple ways, but particularly has helped build my confidence in what I love doing to help me progress for the future. I’ve also already learnt so many new skills, gained fantastic knowledge and met so many incredible people. 

What advice would you give someone making the decision to go to university or to do an Apprenticeship? 

If it’s not crucial to have a degree in what you want to pursue in the future, then I would strongly advise on doing an apprenticeship. It allows you to experience what the working world is like, earn money instead of getting into debt and gives you experiences in exactly what you love to do.

What’s the one thing you will take away from your apprenticeship once it’s over? 

I will take away all the incredible experiences I've gained over the 13 months and will be grateful to my fantastic team who have helped me gain confidence and given me the chance to learn new skills that will help further my career.