My name is George Blissett, I am a Business Administrator Apprentice at Ginger Nut Training, learning and working within the Enrolment, Delivery and Client Engagement Team.

My journey

Before undergoing this apprenticeship, I was working part time at a seafood restaurant/takeaway with a complex role, including waiting, food preparation, serving customers, cleaning and more.

Before knowing too much about apprenticeships, I was studying an Extended Level 3 Diploma in Business Studies. Although I was getting good grades, it didn’t change the fact that I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I left college.

I saw everyone around me having plans sorted, getting jobs and university offers, and I felt behind. I was applying for full time jobs but not hearing anything back, and getting university offers even though I personally had no interest in university, and then I was introduced to apprenticeships.

Once I learnt more details about apprenticeships, I was heavily interested in completing one, and then I discovered a role within Ginger Nut Training for a Business Administrator Apprentice. It was located in the same city that my college was located in, so I knew how to commute to work, it stood for the same values that I had, and overall looked like a good opportunity, so I applied.

The next day, I woke up to a group interview for the role, my first ever professional interview. At first, I was worried, but I knew how badly I wanted this, so I attended. Although faced with other individuals who seemed to want to overtake others speaking to try and stand out, I made sure that throughout I was myself no matter how other people were acting.

A couple interviews later, and I had my start date.

This was huge for me. It made me feel more motivated before I had even started, and it felt like a massive weight had come off my shoulders.

Through all the stress of applying to different places, seeing rejection time and time again, seeing that start date made all the stress worth it.

From my experience with not knowing what to do after college whilst others around you seem to have it all sorted out, I feel as if this is more common than I originally thought. Whatever position you are in, whether you are still in school, college, sixth-form, university or unemployed, apprenticeships are definitely a route to consider if you are just simply unsure of what’s next for you.

Why did I choose an apprenticeship?

Although having access to free food at the end of my shifts at my old job was VERY tempting, I thought it was time for a new challenge. I decided to go ahead with an apprenticeship as I liked the idea of learning whilst gaining real-world experience. It allows me to slowly adapt to a full-time employee whilst also allowing me to gain important knowledge which will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Compared to a full-time job contract, an apprenticeship allows you to learn about a certain topic which you might not know much about and gives you the option to either have that opportunity of staying within the employer or leaving at the end if it really isn’t for you. This is what I believe a lot of people may miss out.

What's been the best moment from your apprenticeship? 

Within the 6 months that I have been in the apprenticeship, the best moment of my apprenticeship has been realising how much your new colleagues have your back. It was amazing to see how kind and supportive I was the second I step foot into the building on my first day, and I cannot thank them enough for continuing to support me and adapting my knowledge.

This may be cheating, but other moments that I have found to be really beneficial to me is having the opportunity to attend events, including networking and careers fairs. Being able to connect with people who are doing the same or different apprenticeships to myself has been really eye opening for me, and being able to educate younger audiences about apprenticeships also gives me that reassurance that I am doing my part.

How have you changed or developed within your apprenticeship?

The apprenticeship has had many positive impacts on me and my everyday life. An example of this would be my time management skills. I have started to notice that since starting my apprenticeship, my time management when it comes to prioritising tasks and managing my time more effectively has improved much more than what it was like before. In general life, I can plan out my day, preventing myself from rushing around or stressing about missing events in my life such as dentist appointments etc. Furthermore, I have become more confident during my apprenticeship. This is important as it allows me to walk into work and understand my responsibilities, which has kind of made me force myself into becoming more confident, which is excellent.

What advice would you have for anyone thinking of doing this apprenticeship?

The best advice I could give a leaner considering taking on a business administration apprenticeship is to go for it. There can be times where it feels like there’s a lot of complicated aspects such as understanding excel spreadsheets and memorising scripts when taking phone calls, you should have the most effective support from your employer, that will help guide you through the apprenticeship, and with the reassurance that someone will always have your back.

If you are looking to gain real world experience whilst also earning a qualification along the way, an apprenticeship is for you.

George Blissett

Business Administrator Apprentice at Ginger Nut Training

You can find out more and connect with George on LinkedIn.