Hannah Payne, our Learning and Development Co-ordinator, recently completed her Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeship at WorldSkills UK. She explains why she decided an apprenticeship was the best route for her and the valuable skills she’s learnt along the way.
After starting at WorldSkills UK as a level 2 apprentice three years ago, I recently found out that I have passed my Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeship with a distinction, and I couldn’t be more proud of myself!
While completing my apprenticeship at WorldSkills UK, I have developed my personal and professional attributes which have supported me to succeed within the organisation. I have gained a vast amount of skills and utilised the many opportunities I have been fortunate to experience in order to successfully pass my qualification and become a valued employee. Following on from my apprenticeship, I applied for a new role within the organisation and I am now the Learning and Development Project Co-ordinator for the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence Programme.
Why did I decided to do an apprenticeship?
What a great opportunity to learn new skills, gain new experiences and earn money at the same time! I previously worked in the hospitality industry as an assistant manager of a champagne bar. This pushed me into looking for other opportunities and career pathways where I could further develop my organisational and planning skills, which is why I chose a business administration apprenticeship.
Completing my apprenticeship
I started as a Level 2 Business Administration Apprentice at WorldSkills UK where I completed my qualification in around eight months. WorldSkills UK then offered me the opportunity to complete my level 3 apprenticeship, which looking back is one of the best decisions I ever made.
Business Administration involves a lot of different elements such as, planning, organisation, communication, project management and problem solving. I had to ensure that I was motivated and hardworking to make the most of the opportunities and expertise from my colleagues around me to learn what I needed.
To pass my apprenticeship, I had to complete a certain amount of off-the-job training hours, create a portfolio which is a collection of my work that provided an insight into the tasks I had been doing throughout my apprenticeship, and prepare a project presentation by incorporating scoping, planning and managing a project.
Learning key employability skills
Since joining WorldSkills UK in September 2017, I have learnt so many skills all of which have been so important in supporting me in my development.
“I have travelled across the UK to represent WorldSkills UK and internationally, working with many stakeholders and partners. This has not just improved my communication and interpersonal skills but also my confidence in who I am and what I now believe I can achieve.”
I was very fortunate to work with the EuroSkills Secretariat in Budapest, as well as Team UK support in WorldSkills Kazan as the Team Assistant. Who would of thought that I would get such amazing and unique opportunities so early in my career?
I have worked across different teams and departments within my organisation which has given me insights into different areas of work and has enabled me to become very adaptive and flexible in my ways of working. In my role I have suggested changes to existing ways of working as well as coaching and training others, which has provided me with a platform to exceed in future.
Looking to the future
I am now the Learning and Development Project Co-ordinator for the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence where I support the programming, coordination and management of the new programme. I am really excited about my new role and am motivated to continue learning and developing myself as an employee at WorldSkills UK. I hope that I keep pursuing further opportunities and continue to grow within the organisation.
Who knows, maybe one day I’ll be CEO!
