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WELCOME & CONTENTS
Welcome Welcome to the newest edition of Buzz magazine. Since the last issue the team has grown again and so has the number of young people out there as Swarm apprentices making a real impact in their businesses. In this issue you will read about the fantastic apprentices that make Swarm apprentices stand out from the crowd, hear about new exciting projects that will drive enterprise and innovation at the highest level in business, and what really is an innovative intrapreneur. We at Swarm have a shared vision and that vision can only happen if we have the right people within the team to take it forward. This is why empowerment is the fundamental cornerstone of Swarm. When you’re in a rapidly growing business you have to have employees that don’t just work for you but embrace the vision and take ownership of success in their own way. Swarm and the vison just keeps growing and so do the challenges that come along the way. To get round these challenges we need to have a whole team of intrapreneurs that creatively find solutions to these problems, take ownership of their personal vision and set goals that compliment the purpose of Swarm. Swarm is about developing enterprise in business and to do it you have to become it.
Contents 2. What’s New 7. Top Tweets 8. Operations Update & Latest Vacancies 10. Innovation & Growth 12. Apprentice Experiences;
Chris Reeve of Swarm
Lizzie Carter of Relate Norfolk & Suffolk,
Ed Nash of The Original Country Cottages
15. Inside Swarm 16. Apprentice Experiences;
Gemma Howell, & Elliott Garner of GML Consulting,
Alice Henderson & Roxanne Cross of Freebridge Community Housing
21. Application Tips
Chris Perry– MD Swarm
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What’s New Swarm announces new funded Level 5 apprenticeship Driving innovation and enterprise in business is at the core of Swarm's vison. The social enterprise is focused on developing young people to deliver the greatest possible impact in business. Now there’s an opportunity for even greater impact with the introduction of a Level 5 apprenticeship in ‘Innovation and Growth.’ Unlike the Level 2 and 3 apprenticeships Swarm supports, there is no upper age limit for Government funding. That reduces the likely cost to the learner or their employer, making this qualification a realistic and affordable option for many wishing to grow their entrepreneurial skills. Chris Perry, Swarm's Managing Director, comments, ‘This is a fantastic opportunity for people to gain a degree level qualification in the workplace that concentrates on business growth and development. It unlocks new doors for both Swarm and the business community, enabling organisations to upskill existing employees or recruit new people to high calibre management roles.’ He continues, ‘We recognise that to grow opportunities for young people you need to grow businesses. With this qualification we have a unique opportunity to support the senior leader’s business to drive innovation and growth which will have a wider impact, not just for young people but for the whole regional economy.’ Caroline Williams, CEO of Norfolk Chamber, comments, 'Exciting news for Norfolk businesses and young people and another first for Swarm. Another step forward in the provision of apprenticeships.’
Chris Perry, Managing Director, with Robert Ashton, Swarm’s Founder
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The Swarm team grows, again!
What’s New
Swarm is really pleased to welcome Megan Kennedy who has become the newest member of the Operations team at Swarm HQ in Wymondham. Megan’s main duty is to work closely with businesses who wish to employ a Swarm apprentice and identify the right individual that has the potential to deliver impact and also match the needs of the role/ organisation. Jessica Juby, Operations Manager at Swarm, comments on the position and how important it is in starting the process of driving enterprise within Megan Kennedy: Recruitment Assistant organisations, “Megan has only been here a short while so far and I can really see the positive impact she’s having on the team and the business. Having worked in similar roles before, Megan already knows what going the extra mile is to get the perfect match between employer and apprentice. Everyone, Megan included, is delighted to have the freedom to put forward fresh new ideas.” Chris Perry, Swarm’s Managing Director, said, “It’s really exciting that due to Swarm’s growth, we welcome another member of the team to really make sure our businesses are getting the best service as possible in the recruitment process.” He continues to say, “Megan has a passion for supporting young people into apprenticeships and as we are putting her through Swarm’s enterprise Level 3 training, we look forward to empowering her to make a real impact in the team.” As a Swarm apprentice, Megan has already proven her ability to spot opportunities to refine and make systems more efficient and has been contributing to the development of the operations function. On joining the company, Megan commented, "It’s great to be a part of this rapidly growing organisation and seeing how they’re innovating with apprenticeships. It’s a sector that I’ve always wanted to work in and I’m looking forward to growing my career with them." Swarm looks forward to growing the team even further as awareness of Swarm grows throughout the East of England and beyond. Follow Megan on Twitter: @SwarmMegan Swarm Apprenticeships Ltd
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What’s New Introducing Swarm Futures Swarm Futures is a new project under the Swarm banner that supports young people in getting the right job, training or career path and teaches enterprising business skills to help them stand out from the crowd. They work in conjunction with Orbit East housing, and the main areas of operation are in Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Ipswich. The course Swarm Futures offers is 5 days in length, and covers employability, life and enterprise skills, with support on CV and application writing. Applicants are also given a great amount of one to one support if needed. It is free of charge to all candidates and is aimed at 16-24 year olds but will also be funded for the over 24s. Getting a job nowadays, particularly if you’re a young person, can be tough – so Swarm Futures will make sure that you have the skills, CV and mindset needed to begin your employment. They will also help you to gain access to further training e.g. apprenticeships and higher education if that is where the interest lies. Swarm Futures is commercially funded by Orbit East, who are committed to building communities and improving the prospects of their customers. This project will engender this commitment and is therefore open to all, even if not an Orbit customer. We have hosted awareness events in the areas we will be working and have met some young people who were an inspiration, as they were quite determined to change their life for the better. They are very enthusiastic about the project and about getting in to work – and the majority of these young people came through via The Anchorage Trust; also a new social enterprise, based in Great Yarmouth. It is early days yet for Swarm Futures, and we are looking forward to building a successful portfolio of ambitious and enthusiastic young people who are not only a credit to themselves but to the communities they come from.
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What’s New
Fiona Sharp of Orbit East, with Lucy Martin, Shannon Watkins and Chris Perry from Swarm
Swarm Futures can also offer support on results days and can be present on career days, so if you are a young person in need of the kind of support that Swarm offers, or know someone who would be interested – look no further. The Swarm Futures brand new website has now gone live: ww.swarmfutures.org.uk. Also check out Swarm Futures on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/swarmfutures Twitter: @swarm_futures Instagram: swarm_futures
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What’s New Lambda Films continues to grow with new Swarm apprentice Lambda Films, a Future50 firm based in Norwich, have recruited a new Swarm apprentice. The modern and fresh film company specialise in producing video for corporate and promotional usage.
opportunity to mould the role to her skillset, helping Lambda Films to continue succeeding in the future.
“We wanted to work with someone who understands how a small, agile business works so Alex Morris, Corporate Director, an enterprise qualification is a spoke about why he decided to perfect fit. Our successful take on a Swarm apprentice in applicant will make the role her the first place – “A producer in a own. We’re learning about this company like ours requires as we go, so although we’ll be somebody with lots of providing guidance, it’s an enthusiasm, and where better to opportunity for the applicant to find that than with apprentices!” decide how the role fits them best.” It’s clear to see that Lambda Films will be giving their newest Hillary seems to be the perfect recruit, Hillary, a fantastic fit for Lambda having previous
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Hillary Whales, Apprentice Film Producer
experience in the industry in the USA. Having become successful out of over 250 applicants, Hillary said, “I am over the moon to get the job at Lambda Films. I am excited to learn more as part of the apprenticeship and I can’t wait to make an impact.” Follow Lambda Films on Twitter: @LambdaFilms
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Top Tweets We’ve seen some cracking tweets from both our apprentices and businesses recently. Celebrating success, making a point or merely joking around, we’ve captured the best of them for your benefit right here.
Millie Photo of the Month Who is Millie? Millie is our Swarm mascot. She is a Chihuahua x Yorkshire Terrier who came to work with Jess one day and has been coming ever since. She doesn't do much, but whatever she does, it’s cute. Follow Millie on Twitter: @SwarmMillie This Millie photo was taken ‘just because’ wearing her lion mane... It was, as you can probably guess, quite difficult getting her to stay still and not try to chew the mane off, but after a lot of treats, we got there eventually.
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Operations Update March saw Apprenticeship Week come around again and the Swarm team attended a variety of different events that helped to promote apprenticeships. I was out of the office that week as I joined ConsultEast’s ILM Coaching and Mentoring Learning Programme for a week-long period of training. I was introduced to a lovely group of people and worked with them to develop coaching skills. The week was fast-paced with plenty of opportunities to practise what we had learnt within the group. We had a variety of tutors who were incredibly knowledgeable and friendly and helped break up the learning with different activities, demonstrations, and teaching styles. I picked up some really valuable skills that will come in useful as the Swarm team continues to develop and grow. I couldn’t have picked a nicer bunch of people to learn and grow with. In my absence, Swarm had the great news of the confirmation of a new project we’ll be starting. My assistant, Shannon ‘The Cake Gobbler’, has moved over to assist under this new project. Faced with a Shannon-sized gap, we’ve recruited Megan as Recruitment Assistant who’s responsible for contacting new applicants, pre-interviewing them, carrying out face to face interviews where required, and then recommending strong and suitable candidates to business owners for their vacancies. With an extra pair of hands to deal with recruitment, we’re sure our expansion into Suffolk will be a great success. With the Leiston launch already taken place, we have our first Suffolk vacancy and many more on the books. Just around the corner our first group of apprentices are due to finish their apprenticeships. Some of you will have been asked for your opinion on graduation ceremonies and Swarm networking events. The idea is in the pipeline to combine these two events, giving Swarm members the opportunity to regularly meet others with graduating apprentices receiving their Swarm awards. Watch this space! If you’d like to suggest ideas then please feel free to email jess@swarmapprentice.org.uk. Follow Jess on Twitter: @SwarmJess
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Chris Perry & Shannon Watkins at Norfolk Adult Education’s apprenticeship open day
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Latest Vacancies
Apprentice Café and Coffee Shop Supervisor, with Freebridge Community Housing, (housing provider), King’s Lynn
Apprentice Café and Coffee Shop Manager, with Freebridge Community Housing (housing provider), King’s Lynn
Sales Support Apprentice, with Credo Asset Finance (business and personal finance), Norwich
Apprentice Receptionist, with Credo Asset finance (business and personal finance), Norwich
Web Developer Apprentice, with Broadland Digital (web and design solutions), Norwich
Project Management & Marketing Administrator Apprentice, with GML Consulting (web developers), Norwich
Sales & General Office Administrator, with Bed Bazaar (restoration and retail of beds), Framlingham
Administration Apprentice, with Aston Shaw (accountants), Norwich
Administration Apprentice, with Structure Flex (material printing), Cromer
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Innovative Intrapreneur?
When we choose an overseas holiday destination, the first thing we consider is long haul or short haul. This decision is really important as if you’re planning on a weekend away, then choosing Hong Kong for instance may not be the best idea for a relaxing break unless you really like the inside of a Boeing 747. This notion of understanding your journey time in relation to your goals is also vital when deciphering if you’re going to be a more effective entrepreneur or if you’re happy to strap yourself in for a long flight and go down what we call the intrapreneur path.
are equally creative as each other but where as one will look to the external world for entirely new solutions, the other will follow the established brand purpose and values as a guide and apply that to seeking new ideas that offer efficiencies or product innovations that have the ability to expand the businesses profitability or brand influence.
So what is an intrapreneur? The word has only been around for a short while as a description for people who use a lot, if not all, of the skills of an entrepreneur but In short, it is empowering employees to look for a gap work within an organisation maximising on or opportunities in your existing marketplace, create a opportunities for growth and efficiencies. plan and then take ownership of the new project or service using the skillset of an entrepreneur to make it We cannot and should not all aim to be successful happen. entrepreneurs like we see on TV as most of those you speak to have had business partners who have been So what does an innovative intrapreneur look like? In the business brain and taken the idea to make it into a order to be an effective intrapreneur you have to be successful global brand. able to find a problem, create a solution and turn this into a new opportunity, for profitability, growth or Both of these two people have the mind-set and skills expansion. Then you need to create a vision that can that almost mirror each other but where the risk taking be interpreted into a long term business plan and make entrepreneur may want to dabble in many, the resilient sure it does not deviate away from the original purpose intrapreneur wants to pick up, mould and expand. Both Swarm Apprenticeships Ltd
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Innovative Intrapreneur? of the organisation. Once you have this you need to be able to make sure the project is financially viable and offers the ability to be sustainable. So what skillset do you need to be able to be an innovatve intrapreneur?
8: Accept you don’t know what you don’t know—You have to be able to knuckle down and learn things that will put you right out of your comfort zone. Don’t get blindsided by a law or policy that you have no control over.
9: Adaptive and flexible—Embrace change. You will have to adapt to changes in the workplace, market or both and that means you may have to set goals on the fly to achieve your original vision. A “No” or “Can’t” never 2: Be an inquisitive challenger – Ever had a 5 year old has a full stop after it, only ever a question mark. keep asking “Why” or “Why not?” This is a good trait as 10: Respect the bigger vision—This is one of a few long as you’re not annoying. How else can you find the fundamental things that separate an entrepreneur from problem and spot the solution? an intrapreneur. This may not be your business and you’re playing in a pre-determined ballpark. Respect that 3: Embrace risk and failure – This is a fundamental and use your ideas and skills to strengthen your boss’s one that stops a lot of innovation. We learn by failing big vision, not create a new one. and I have never met a good entrepreneur that’s not 1: Big picture thinker– You have to be able to see the whole forest and its goals rather than just the trees within it.
failed a few times before that killer idea takes off. 4: Be a relentless armadillo—If you have a vision that you believe in then don’t stop trying until you achieve it. Along the way you will get hit and knocked down so learn, shrug it off and try again. 5: Network and build your contacts—You will never achieve anything by just being confined to your own business. Get out and meet others in the business world. They are your toolbox and everyone in it a possible collaborator, sound board or customer to get the job done.
These 10 traits are really just the start of what makes a truly innovative intrapreneur, but if you want to climb the career ladder or own your own businesses one day then you have to think like one to become one. That means you have to take ownership and accountability of what you’re doing and if its your idea, then the buck well and truly stops with you. Chris Perry (Managing Director of Swarm)
6: Passion and enjoyment—Without this you will never succeed. You have to live the idea, want it, taste it and strive to enjoy even the hardest challenge to infect others with the desire you have to see the vision through. 7: Play well with others—You won’t be able to do everything on your own and you will need the support of others to achieve your vision. You should aim to collaborate a win-win for people rather than a compromise.
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Apprentice Experiences Learning business the Swarm way It’s pretty fortunate that I was a Swarm apprentice really, especially now I’m working for the organisation itself! In this article I’ll reveal why learning business the Swarm way is the best thing you can do as a young person.
Swarm apprentice graduate Chris, now Business Development and Operations Executive for Swarm
Persevering, Challenging, Respecting, Aspiring, Enjoying and Innovating. These are the ways in which a Swarm apprentice is trained from the beginning of their apprenticeship. Every single apprentice that decides to start their career by learning business the Swarm way, is now at a massive advantage to someone who is perhaps *cough cough* listening to irrelevant lectures while paying extortionate fees…
First of all and talking from experience, learning business the Swarm way as an apprentice is fantastic because you get trained by industry professionals, who aren’t just passionate about the field that they work in, but feel it’s vital to help the next generation of young business people rise up the ranks and take control. My personal ride on the career roller-coaster has already, in my opinion, been excelled due to being inspired by the people that have trained me. I’d say even after working for Swarm for two months, I can already recognise and understand why the organisation is the Ferrari in the apprenticeships industry. There are simply two things for me that make them stand out from the rest –
They help the young person actually become more efficient in the role they’ve got at work
They encourage business managers to give young people more responsibility in the workplace.
This in turn means: the young person learns a whole lot faster, rather than just ticking off assignments through the normal learning provider route. As well as this and most importantly, the most savvy employer who originally gave the young person this great opportunity gets a much quicker return on investment and therefore grows the organisation to be a much better beast than it previously was without an apprentice. The reason behind writing this latest blog post was to simply share the love for Swarm. I have now finished my apprenticeship training on the Level 3 Business Enterprise course and (as you can probably tell) couldn’t get enough of it. To be earning in a role that would normally have been given to an experienced know-it-all and learning all the vital business knowledge and skills, is an absolute privilege. I would most certainly recommend employers in Norfolk take on not just an apprentice, but the newly available Ferrari – a Swarm apprentice! Swarm Apprenticeships Ltd
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Apprentice Experiences Swarm Lizzie raises Relate’s profile Relate Norfolk & Suffolk supports families by providing Relationship Counselling for individuals and couples, Family Counselling, Children and Young People’s Counselling and Sex Therapy, and also provides friendly and informal workshops for people at important stages in their relationships. The Charity exists to support clients who would otherwise be unable to afford the services they require and runs its Charity shops to help bring in an income to support its aims. Relate Norfolk & Suffolk has been trying to raise its profile because although it is a well-known charity with a high profile nationally, it needed to become better known with a wider range of potential clients locally. The Charity has been working on raising its profile with the help of its Swarm enterprise apprentice, Lizzie Carter, and has made the most of Lizzie’s skills to support and broaden the use of social media and Lizzie’s interest in photography to get their name out there with some improved online photo images. With Lizzie’s support, the Charity now has a main Facebook page and one specifically for each of its five shops, as well as a new Twitter account. Lizzie updates the shop pages with interesting items that are donated to the shops and seasonal items and Facebook allows people to ask whether the shops have certain items in stock. Lizzie also uses her photography skills to take pictures of the shops and the items to draw even more attention to them. Go to www.facebook.com/relatenorfolksuffolk to find the links to the individual shops, and to get all the latest information on the Charity’s services. Relate Norfolk & Suffolk now also has an easyfundraising page after it was suggested by one of their shop managers, Debbie. Easyfundraising allows people to make free donations to the charity with little effort. If you shop online you could be raising up to 7% of a purchase for Relate Norfolk & Suffolk, and for a little charity like this, every penny helps! Relate counsellors recommend this to their clients and customers of their charity shops as it is a free service for them to use that can bring them a steady income over time. www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/relatens “The Charity has been very grateful for the help from the Swarm apprentice, which has helped put us on the social media ‘map’ and has raised our profile for clients and shop customers” said Liz, the Charity’s manager. Find out more: www.relatenorfolksuffolk.co.uk
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Apprentice Experiences Edward Nash Googling with Swarm Apprenticeships
Ed Nash & Tom Ellis of The Original Cottage Company
After my first year at college, I realised that full time education wasn’t for me. I decided to leave and I managed to find an apprenticeship with an SEO agency. After a month of working for them, it was soon clear that they didn't have my best interests at heart and were just looking for cheap labour! I decided to look for an opportunity that would allow me to develop my skills in online marketing, as well as to be treated as a valued part of their company.
After leaving the SEO agency, I was put in contact with Tom Ellis the Online Marketing Director at TOCC by Swarm Apprenticeships. Luckily Tom offered me a placement within his team as Online Marketing Apprentice. After a year and six months working here, I can safely say my decision to join TOCC was the best decision I could have made. Despite joining the company at a very junior level, I’ve been given a lot of responsibility. Working alongside industry experts has meant that I’ve learnt a lot in a very short space of time. I have been treated fairly, and have felt valued as a member of the online team. TOCC have invested much time into my development, due to this I’ve been able to embark on my next exciting opportunity and work at Google. An opportunity wouldn’t have a risen without the fantastic people that work at Swarm and TOCC.
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Inside Swarm An interview with Heather Habbin – Programme Manager Apprenticeships, Norfolk County Council Adult Education What’s your background? I have worked in education as a teacher and manager for over 20 years, at a high school and the last 15 years at Adult Education. I live in West Norfolk am married with two daughters, two stepsons and one grandson. I trained to degree level in medical services, namely haematology, but made a career change after my children were born. I have also been a governor at a West Norfolk primary school for 18 years, the last 7 years as Chair of The Governing Body. I am passionate about this role and thoroughly enjoy watching and supporting the development and learning of the children. I work hard to inspire in them a desire to learn and aspiration to achieve and succeed in all that they do. What did you want to be when you were younger? A teacher; when I left school following A levels I elected not to take up a place in teacher training, but took a job at my local hospital and trained to be a haematology technician. What do you look for in a good learner? A good learner is someone who has a passion for what they are learning, is looking for challenges and opportunities to extend their learning and has an eagerness to make a difference and progress to their chosen goal.. What’s your favourite thing about working with young people? Sharing in and celebrating their success and watching them make a real difference to their own futures and that of the employers they work for. What do you like doing in your spare time? I enjoy the countryside, walking, watching wildlife, gardening and walking my dog. I also love spending time with my family, grandson and they all like my cooking! What piece of advice would you say to your younger self? Your first job is only a stepping stone to achieving your ultimate goal. The most successful people build a wealth of experience, including a wide range of learning and life skills which enables them to achieve and be successful. It is never too late to learn or change your career direction; always believe in yourself.
Tell us something that not many people know about you. I have always found spelling difficult. What famous person would you most like to meet, and why? Harry Potter: there are many times when it would be so useful to have a magic wand!
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Apprentice Experiences Apprentices Gemma and Elliott on GML Consulting & top secrets! I work for GML Consulting as a Junior Project and Marketing Co-Ordinator. I have worked here for over a year and a half now, having completed an apprenticeship in Business Administration in my first year, and am now enrolled on the Business Enterprise course with Swarm. GML Consulting are a creative web, design and marketing company based in Norwich. My average day consists of working closely with management, organising projects, delegating tasks, meeting and liaising with clients, writing blogs and web content, updating websites, co-ordinating our own email shots, promo videos, blog posts, and social media – to name just a few. No day is the same; my workload is always varied, which keeps me on my feet! I would 100% recommend an apprenticeship to any young person who wants to get into an industry where you would usually need experience or a degree to stand a chance. Apprentices can become valuable assets to their companies, with the extensive on the job training they receive, and the experience they gain. It’s not just about how the apprentice benefits, it’s about how the business benefits too – apprentices have a
lot to offer their companies, such as coming up with new, fresh business ideas. As the business grows, the apprentice grows with them - this can allow for the apprentice to gain more opportunities for promotion, and much more. I am really enjoying my apprenticeship with Swarm – I completed an apprenticeship with a different apprenticeship company before, and couldn’t believe the difference. The support and encouragement I have received from the Swarm team is second to none; they have helped me to realise my full potential, and changed the way I think about business. Some other apprenticeship companies (in my experience) tend to just focus on getting you through the course work, whereas Swarm seem to truly care about their apprentices as individuals, and focus on helping us return on investment for our employers, giving us valuable skills for later life.
Elliott Garner and Gemma Howell, GML Consulting Swarm apprentices
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Apprentice Experiences I have really enjoyed the monthly Swarm workshops, because you get to spend time with other apprentices who you can relate to and help each other with your projects.
My future plans at GML are to continue to develop my knowledge of the industry, increase my client accounts that I manage, and think of new, innovative ideas to develop and promote the business. I love working for GML, and it would be great to be promoted to some sort of management role after my Swarm apprenticeship, whether that be in the project department, the marketing department, or even both!
I have come up with new ideas for our business (top secret for now, so I can’t disclose this information!) but it’s all very exciting and I am looking forward to promoting this in the near future. This has added to my return of investment for the business, along with saving my manager time Follow GML and Gemma on Twitter: with her workload, and building strong @gmlconsulting @gemmamarie92 relationships with the clients that I manage.
My name is Elliott. I’m a Swarm apprentice currently doing a marketing course and I work for GML Consulting. There are endless reasons why young people should do apprenticeships, here are a few that I feel are most important:
Offers extremely valuable experience and knowledge crucial for later life
Enables high school/college students to follow their main interests
Earn a decent wage
Obtain a relevant and recognised qualification
I’m really enjoying the apprenticeship, I can’t think of anything else I would rather be doing
at this time. My day to day work mainly consists of writing website performance reports, finding ways to improve the popularity of client’s websites, checking websites for any errors, and uploading images to bar and club websites. Writing website performance reports is a large part of my job role, there are a number to write each month, they contain statistics from several different sources and there’s no room for error. Improving a websites popularity can be done in several ways, through advertisement, by including up to date good quality content and having an overall good user experience. Checking websites for errors is very vital - if a website viewer can’t do something they intended to do, they’ll lose interest in the site and it will be unlikely that
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Apprentice Experiences they’ll recommend it to others or visit again. Uploading images to bar and club websites is also an important part of my job as club and bar goers will be very eager to see how good (or bad) they looked the night the pictures were taken, so they need to uploaded asap. I find being involved in marketing activities and my usual day to day work the most enjoyable elements of my job. Starring in our companies April Fools music video, “Five Colours Over There”, (a cover of the McFly song ‘Five Colours in Her Hair’), alongside my colleagues has definitely been a highlight. We made the video to show a human side of our business, and of course the humorous side – as well as promoting our services. It bought together nearly every staff member and was thoroughly enjoyable.
have helped take pressure off of some of my colleagues, as tasks are now shared out evenly and completed on time. I hope for this to continue in the future, taking on more exciting and challenging tasks. At the end of my apprenticeship I hope to secure a full time position at GML and work here for the foreseeable future. I also hope to continue to develop strong working relationships with clients and my fellow colleagues. Twitter: @Its_Garner_
Since starting my apprenticeship I
The GML team with Chris Perry
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Apprentice Experiences When asked about what they thought of Freebridge so far Alice said, “So far this is one of the most rewarding positions I’ve held because I know I make a positive impact on the organisation by supporting Robert and his team. As a social landlord, Freebridge very much embraces going the extra mile, with many positive activities and helping to create resilience”.
Freebridge Community Housing Roxanne said, “Freebridge is a great place welcomes Swarm apprentices to work; everyone is so welcoming to new Alice and Roxanne starters and are more than happy to offer Freebridge welcomed Alice Henderson and Roxanne Cross as Swarm apprentices last year. Alice is Personal Assistant to Robert Clarke, Director of Housing, and Roxanne to Colin Davison, Director of Property, and as part of their apprenticeships they are studying towards a level three in Enterprise Skills in a Business Environment.
help. You can see that everyone really is working towards a better West Norfolk.” On their hopes for the future, Alice commented, “I have no idea. All I know so far is that I love my job and my friends are awfully envious when I tell them. I am happy learning a great deal and making a positive difference coming to work.”
Alice said she enrolled on to a Swarm Roxanne said, “My main goal is to pass the Apprenticeship because she “jumped at the course and use it as a stepping stone in my business career whether it be hopefully at opportunity to work at Freebridge.” Freebridge or for another company, or even Roxanne said : “I wanted to further my my own! Who knows? education without going to college and “The apprenticeship has allowed me to when I saw the Swarm Apprenticeship think outside the box– ordinarily and advertised it was exactly what I needed. especially in my current role as PA, I would I’ve always been interested in business and what was asked of me and stop at that. so this was the perfect stepping stone for Looking at business from an me.” entrepreneurial perspective has made me
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Apprentice Experiences more confident to voice my ideas and be innovative. I no longer want to exist within a business, I want to contribute to that business with new ideas. It has also allowed me to do this without the fear of failing, having the confidence to voice your idea without being scared it’s going to fail is a big part of being successful within the business environment. Without failing you cannot learn.” When asked about her highlight so far of working with Freebridge, Roxy said, “So far it has been the work I’m doing for my apprenticeship project. This work is not only for the project but is currently having a positive effect on Freebridge as a business from a procurement point of view. It’s so good to see your work being put to good use, and to know that your time with a company is worthwhile. “The most important thing I think I’ve learnt so far is to manage my time at work effectively. Effective time management is the key to succeeding within any business environment. I have to make sure I have a good work/life balance and I have prioritise my workload. Sometimes, work can build up and seem unmanageable, but if you have the skills to prioritise it correctly then you will succeed.” Follow Freebridge on Twitter: @freebridge
Contact Us Give us a call for more information about our vacancies Swarm Apprenticeships Turnpike Farm Business Centre London Road Suton Wymondham NR18 9SS 01953 609752
info@swarmapprentice.org.uk Visit us on the web at www.swarmapprentice.org.uk
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Megan Kennedy, Swarm’s newest recruit, talks about her top application tips!
Application Tips
The STAR method should be used when a potential employer asks you to give an example of a time when you have overcome a challenge, gone above what was asked of you or when you have simply completed a task. This method can be used when completing application forms and also during face to face interviews. Example question Give me an example of a time that you have gone above what was asked with the new shirt. Once the busy period had passed I found the sales had slowed down and I of you. needed a new way to attract customers. I Situation- What was the situation you were dressed up as Captain Canary, put a shirt on faced with? and walked around the show to draw attention to the brand and direct people to our stand. Answer; Whilst working for my previous employer Norwich city Football Club I went along to the Royal Norfolk Show to represent the company and make people aware of the new kit. Task- What tasks were involved?
Answer; I was stationed at the stand with 3 other colleagues and I was tasked to sell 30 new shirts over the 2 day event. As the product was new, I needed to raise awareness of it.
Result- What was the end result? Answer; The amount of people visiting the stand increased, more people enquired and sales went up. At the end of the 2 day event I had exceeded the target of 30 shirts and achieved 43.
There are a few important things to remember when using this method. You should try not to get too technical, only mention the things what are relevant and that the reader/interviewer will Actions- What actions did you take to complete understand. It’s a good idea to sit down and think of a few scenarios which you can write the task? You should mention the actions you down so that you don’t find yourself stuck for an took which will include the skills that the answer. employer is looking for. Did you find this article useful? Any more Answer; As a team we decided to station questions on applying for apprenticeships? ourselves at different ends of the stand. I took it Get in touch with Megan on Twitter: upon myself to approach those that were @SwarmMegan walking past the stand and introduce myself Swarm Apprenticeships Ltd
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