Get more out of life with an apprenticeship

To mark National Apprenticeships Week (9-15 March), Oaklands Apprentice Laura Noble shares her experience.

Laura completed her GCSES and A Levels but felt that university life was not for her at that time. Instead, she looked into doing an apprenticeship.

“I got quite good grades and I felt a lot of pressure from my teachers to go to university like it was the only option, but I wanted to get some work experience,” said Laura, 20, from Stevenage.

When she left school, Laura started a Business Administration Apprenticeship at Oaklands College and quickly found that she got more out of it than she expected. 

“I thought I was going to be doing quite basic tasks, like filing and things like that. But I have been given so many opportunities to go jobs fayres and meet with students. I’ve also been given my own role recruiting potential apprentices, which is great.”

Laura has advanced onto the Level 4 Apprenticeship, which will take two years to complete and means she can go to university afterwards. “I want to study part-time so I can keep on working and gaining more experience,” said Laura.

“If you want to work in business, I would highly recommend doing a Business Administration Apprenticeship because there is so much variety in what you get to do and you can go down any route you want afterwards.

“You get so much work experience that you might not necessarily get by going straight to university and ending up in lots of debt. You are still working towards a qualification and getting paid at the same time, so it’s a great opportunity.”

Find out how an apprenticeship can help you: Apprenticeships at Oaklands