The summer following my A Levels whilst I was waiting to hear about my future I was desperate for a full-time job. I was working in a restaurant but they weren’t giving me the hours that I wanted to keep me occupied, or that I needed to save money. My boyfriend at the time was in the Navy which meant I could only see him on weekends, and working in the hospitality industry made that difficult. I went hunting for a Monday to Friday office job but failed miserably. Then an opportunity opened at GHQ Training and I fell into the role of being their Monday – Friday Receptionist.

When I first started in this role I knew very little about apprenticeships. I went to a Grammar school so the main thing they encouraged was university. Apprenticeships to me were for those who didn’t do well in school. However, being a GHQ Training changed my view point completely. Sat at the reception desk I met every different kind of person as they walked through the door for an interview with our Recruitment team. They were all intelligent people. They just had different goals and aspirations. After all you can’t go to university to be a Hairdresser and why would you? There is no point putting yourself in immense debt if you could get a similar qualification in an apprenticeship which allows you to earn a wage whilst learning your trade. If you want to go into childcare, yes you could go to university but you risk putting yourself in debt when you could do a childcare apprenticeship that will lead you to the same career goals.

I learnt a lot about apprenticeships and what they can offer. It’s a lot easier and a lot more beneficial than people might realise. With GHQ Training, it is simple. You go online and Apply. They contact you for an interview, you tell them the placements you are interested in and they start the process. You spend no money in this process, and as soon as you start working you will be earning an apprenticeship wage, which goes up after the first year to your age groups minimum wage.

Whilst working for GHQ Training, they offered me an apprenticeship to learn business skills and gain a business qualification. I had always dreamed of going to university, so I said that if it didn’t work out I would take them up on the offer.
University isn’t for everyone, however the more qualifications you have the more employable you are so an apprenticeship is a fantastic opportunity. GHQ Training make it a quick and simple process.

If I had known more about apprenticeships at age 16 I may have chosen to do that instead of A Levels. Whilst I am currently enjoying my Marketing Management Degree at University, I didn’t enjoy A Levels and the pressure it involved, so Apprenticeships would definitely have been one of my options.