Tania Revill joined National Highways as a human resource apprentice and has recently passed her CIPD HR consultant level 5 apprenticeship
I applied for the apprenticeship after working in hospitality for more than 10 years because HR was something I became interested in. I am a people person and human resources became an area of interest and possible career path for me. I had been involved in some areas such as employee relations and learning and development that I wanted to explore further. But the prospect of working a full-time job, sometimes 50- 60 hours a week and studying part-time for a qualification that would cost thousands wasn’t something I would be able to do.
The apprenticeship was an opportunity to make a career change in a completely unfamiliar industry. An apprenticeship was the right move for me because you ‘earn and learn’ and it also means you are getting hands-on real work experience rather than just studying theory.
Life as an apprentice can be a challenge but it is also very rewarding. While studying an HR apprenticeship I have had many achievements that I am proud of. Early on I was asked to amend and create a new induction presentation. This was due to Covid-19 stopping our normal two-day induction presentation and moving to a one-day online delivery. Once I got stuck in I realised that the presentation was very out of date, so I was able to liaise with all areas of the business to get the right information and make sure it was presented in an easy to understand, simple and engaging way.
My most recent project has been developing a mentorship programme for graduates and apprentices from scratch to ensure that they all have a contact in the business and someone to invest in their personal development. This meant talking with the HR executive director and the grad and apprentices network to figure out how the programme would work and what its purpose should be at its core. I also put together some mentoring guidance for mentors who volunteered for the programme and I am now developing that further for other areas of the business.
I have now come full circle in a way and I am working in the talent team, giving advice and guidance to colleagues in the business who want to take on an internal upskill apprenticeship. I still have opportunities to learn about apprenticeships and National Highways and have continued support to develop my career.
I would highly recommend studying an apprenticeship whatever your age and whatever stage you are at in your personal or professional life.
To find out more about apprenticeship training at National Highways, visit careers.highwaysengland.co.uk