Lauren Ward is pleased to successfully complete her degree through an apprenticeship opportunity with us that she couldn’t turn down.
Lauren joined the business in March 2017 as an apprentice and her first role was in Learning and Development. Her next role was to work in the defects team within development and after that, she joined the Communications team where she helps to shape colleague engagement and internal campaigns.
After finding an opportunity to gain a higher level of study while continuing to do a career she enjoys, she has now successfully completed a Level 6 apprenticeship in Digital Marketing which has given her the equivalent of a bachelor’s Degree.
Lauren, 25, said: “I really wanted to do some further studying as I was an overall coordinator, so I wasn’t specialised in any area, that’s when I enquired about doing another qualification and that’s when we found the level 6 which suited me and the business.
“It’s been challenging as level 6 is a jump from what I was doing before and by doing it through a university there was a lot of extra workload, both throughout the three years but also assignment wise, as it was a degree alongside full-time work."
We're celebrating National Apprenticeship Week, an annual campaign backed by the government. This year the theme is ‘Skills for Life’, encouraging everyone to consider how apprenticeships help to build the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career.
The week-long celebration, starts today on February 6, will shine a light on the fantastic work being done by employers and apprentices across the country.
Lauren said: “My best moment would be knowing that I received high grades throughout. So, I was proud of myself for that. And probably the amount of work I put in, as I did put in a lot of time and effort outside of work so my evenings and weekends and how the outcome showed that. Being able to look back on my results now is the best feeling.
“I think National Apprenticeship Week is so important. I think many people think apprenticeships are just for 16-year-olds so it's not recognised or diverse as it should be. Here at LiveWest, we do so much there's so many different levels of apprenticeships, which is amazing.”
Despite having to balance studying and full-time work, Lauren has taken it in her stride and the three years of studying has finally paid off as she has achieved her goal.
She would encourage those looking for an alternative to further study to consider an apprenticeship because she feels she has benefitted from learning in the workplace.
Lauren said: “I felt quite lucky in the fact that I started the degree in January 2020. And obviously, we then had Covid from March, for about a year and a half, so over half of my degree was in lockdown so that helped me a lot.
“During those first big lot of assignments I wasn’t sure how to manage my time. I was just thinking ‘I’m not sure if I can do this’ but obviously you just tell yourself, it will be okay. I definitely did find it very challenging in the beginning, but with the support of LiveWest I was able to help manage that.
“I've received amazing support from LiveWest, and my manager, but also other managers in the team. I received twenty per cent off the job hours to study, which I always had and any additional time when it was assignments.
“It was an amazing experience and I would recommend it to other people. As long as you're prepared to put in the time and the effort, the outcomes are worth it.”
If you're interested in finding out more about apprentices, the Apprenticeship Expo is the biggest apprenticeship and careers event to take place in the South West annually, during National Apprenticeship Week. LiveWest will be there so come along on February 9 at the Exeter College Sports Hall from 12 until 4.30 pm.