Why an Apprenticeship?
Why an apprenticeship? This must be a common question for many school and college leavers at this time of year, so our new apprentice Gabriella has noted her thoughts down to show you a true reflection of how she felt just a few months ago to how she feels now about apprenticeships:-
“I have been doing an apprenticeship with Stuarts Property Services for just over 4 months now. I am completing this apprenticeship through Damar Training. I can honestly say taking part in an apprenticeship is one of the best decisions I have ever made. It really has helped my confidence immensely. I learn something new every day and I feel like my knowledge and skills are improving all the time.
At the beginning, I was a bit apprehensive (as anyone would be!) It’s a new environment, new people which comes with remembering names and face! It was a whole new experience and I did not know what to expect. I had no experience in the property sector and I was worried about how quickly I would remember everything that I needed to do!
I would say one of my main concerns was meeting the staff members who already worked at Stuarts and also meeting the other apprentice Brooke who started at the same time as me.
Turns out, I had nothing to worry about!
Everyone at Stuarts Property Services was so welcoming and patient and to this day it is still the same! If I am struggling with a task I know I can approach anyone in the office and they will help and advise me as best they can. As I stated previously, I was very nervous about meeting my colleague Brooke due to the fact I was worried that we would not have anything in common or even worse, that we wouldn’t get on, but I honestly feel like I have known her forever! To be honest, it’s the same with everyone in the office. We get on so well and it is really nice to have someone who started at the same time as you and also at the same level because you can help each other with tasks and if you have any issues or you are worried about how to do something, they are there to talk to and help. It’s really good to watch each other’s skills improve and also watch each other’s confidence grow. I can definitely say I have made a friend.
The first few weeks working at Stuarts flew by! There was so much to learn, it was so exiting. Clare and other members of staff sat with myself and Brooke and explained all the procedures and tasks in great detail. I thought I would never remember all the information, notes were definitely key! Everyone was so patient when it came to explaining all the different things we have to do, if we didn’t understand something, Clare would sit down with us and go through everything numerous times until we understood. It is funny when I look back to when I started and thought that I would never be able to remember all the tasks we have to do, but now I do them without even thinking twice about it!
I also thought the pressure of having to do daily jobs in work and also having to do work for my apprenticeship qualification would be really difficult and that I would not have time for both, but it fits together really well. We are able to book time out of work to complete a some of the questions, answering them is also easier than I thought it would be because you can put the knowledge and the experience that you are learning from the job, into your answers. If I ever need any help, I know I can contact my trainer from Damar and she will help me with anything that I need.
I am really enjoying my time as an apprentice at Stuarts Property Service and I really do feel like a valued member of the team, both Colin and Clare allow myself and Brooke to come up with new ideas for the business and they will always give us their true opinion which I feel really helps me because it helps you learn to be able to take constructive criticism and also see what other people think of your ideas. If my ideas don’t work out or are not right I can learn from that experience and in the future can look at alternative things to do.
Overall, I would recommend taking part in an apprenticeship to anyone, it really builds your confidence and I feel extremely lucky that I have found such a great place to work. Stuarts have amazing procedures and principles and they make sure the customer is always at the forefront of everything they do, it is really nice to work for a company who have such good values. “