Each day during #NAW2020 we will be introducing you to inspirational apprentices and rising stars, working in Local Government in the East of England, who blaze their own trail.
I chose the Anglian Revenues Partnership apprenticeship route because I believed it would offer me the ideal building blocks for a successful career. By being an apprentice, I am continuously learning. It allows me to get a greater understanding of different career routes whilst gaining a qualification. I am working towards Level 3 qualification in Business Administration under the Admin team.
For this role, my day varies from monitoring and managing Connect and Service so customers can gain online access to their Council Tax and/or Housing benefits to helping customers via telephone to fill out the capita forms to start an intention to claim, if they unable to do it for themselves. I am still new(ish) to the job – being here nearly 4 months – I look forward to gaining new experiences and knowledge through my team and L&D group. L&D holds meeting with other apprentices within Breckland to talk about issues, achievements and current position within their qualification.
My most favourable experience so far has been shadowing with the Bailiffs and Visiting Officers under Fraud team. Shadowing is what I enjoy the most because it gives me a greater understanding of what Breckland do with a more hand-on approach, rather than sitting at a computer desk, naïve to all the processes.
My apprenticeship has opened up multiple opportunities for self-development, my most recent opportunity offered me the chance to be representative for Breckland at the East of England LGA Apprentice Challenge 2020. This day highlighted the different job roles whilst working for the Council across six tasks throughout the day. The overall experience was valuable and rewarding. I learnt the importance of self-reflection and teamwork.
Apprenticeships give the opportunity to look beyond traditional routes into employment and allow you to explore a diverse range of career options in local government and beyond. Our #NAW2020 feature provides just a small taster of the true value that an apprenticeship can bring, to both individuals, local authorities and the wider community in the East of England.