Becoming an apprentice: What You Need to Know

Tritility Marketing Apprentice Ellie Simblet shares her experience and answers some common questions on apprenticeships.

9 February 2022

tritility

3 mins

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Becoming an Apprentice at Tritility

I’m currently doing a level 3 digital marketing apprenticeship at Tritility, via Baltic Apprenticeships.

My journey started when, after completing my A-Levels, I realised that learning in a classroom setting wasn’t for me. So I decided to look at apprenticeships for a more ‘learning on the job’ route.

Before I started at Tritility, I had so many questions going through my mind. Would the work be difficult? Is this the right decision for me? So, to help you decide if an apprenticeship is for you, here are the answers to some of those questions.

Is an apprentice’s workload manageable?

Tritility Marketing Apprentice Ellie Simblet

Your training provider will set the work in increments, for example getting a certain number of hours on your time log and writing a report, which will be checked during your reviews. My deadlines tend to be long – usually a month or more – so there’s less pressure.

I’ve been given the time and space to complete coursework and workshops, so I’m not juggling too much work with training.

Am I guaranteed a job at the end of my apprenticeship?

Most of the time, the employer will offer the apprentice a permanent position, however this can depend on your contract, and it is best to discuss this with your employer to be certain.

This could be a good question to ask at the interview stage to determine if the company is right for you.

Will I be the youngest person in the office?

Companies will usually hire more than one apprentice, so there’s a good chance there will be others close to your age group.

There will almost certainly be people older than you in the workplace however more often than not you’ll find that you have more in common with them than you’d think, and it is easy to fit in.

Do I get less recognition for my work if I am an apprentice?

No, if anything you get more recognition and praise for good work as you are still learning.

At Tritility, we get rewarded with mentions in the Friday Presentation, as well as trophies for the Stars of the Week.

What if the job is above my skill level?

If you are having doubts about the job, speak to your employer or training provider to see what they can do for you. If you decide a role isn’t right for you, your training provider may be able to help.

Apprenticeships are so varied. For example we have apprentices in our Marketing, Admin, Finance, IT and Energy Management teams. So whatever your skillset, there’s bound to be a role out there for you. I applied through Baltic, but Tritility also recruits apprentices via Sunderland College. Both are extremely helpful and will support you through every step of the application process.