Meet Diina, a level 6 Project Leader at the Houses of Parliament
Which apprenticeship are you doing?
I am currently undertaking my Level 6 in Project Management and I have completed a Level 4 Project Management and a Level 3 Business Admin apprenticeship.
What is your current job role?
My role as a Project Leader at the Houses of Parliament is to deliver the construction projects on the estate. This means managing the project from start to finish as the client and ensuring that the project is being delivered to the agreed time/cost/quality. Delivering a project at the Houses of Parliament is quite rewarding as we are making sure that a historic building is safe for the use of its staff and visitors, as well as giving it a longer life to continue making history within its chambers.
What made you decide to do an apprenticeship following leaving University?
I thought taking the apprenticeship route was best suited for me due to the ability in working and studying and not having to be in debt. My time at University made me realise that the structure there was not fit for me, and once I decided to change my degree to Business Management, I knew it would be possible in finding an apprenticeship for this sector.
What has your apprenticeship journey been like?
My apprenticeship journey opened up the door to my career journey, and I say this because the apprenticeship I completed within the department at Parliament kept me on as Permanent staff. The skills I developed during my apprenticeship meant that I became a valuable asset to the department, and the feedback I was receiving was motivating. I decided to stay within the department and begin my journey in construction project management as I found it very interesting and noticed that the job was better fitted to me than being a nurse. (which i was pursuing previously)
I have since managed to develop my knowledge and skills even further, I’ve managed to take on other apprenticeship qualifications, gain my APM accreditation which enabled me to climb the ladder and receive promotions.
Did you have any concerns about changing your mind?
I’d say the general worry was what my family would say as it would be a change in the norm by not going to Uni. My parents were supportive of my decision, which helped immensely, and I managed to show them that my choice was worth it. I’ve seen them recommend apprenticeships to the younger kids in the family rather than the Uni route which shows me I’ve made the right decision in switching over to an apprenticeship.
I was concerned that taking a big risk in changing my path and not being able to find or get into an apprenticeship was also definitely a big one for me.
Do you have any recommendations on where others could go to get advice?
I initially found it quite hard in trying to find apprenticeships and some of the ones I did find were quite competitive to get in to. However, I was lucky enough to come across an apprenticeship company whose main aim was to help people who were looking for apprenticeships. This company assisted in developing our CV’s further and distributed them to companies who were looking for apprentices. This allowed companies to reach out to the applicants following the review of their CV’s and offer them interviews. I believe the London Apprenticeship is still around and offering their services so I would definitely recommend approaching them and I would also advise in reaching out to any company that you might be interested in to find out the opportunities they may offer, as well as looking for companies such as the one I used to help with finding an apprenticeship.
What was the search and application process like for apprenticeships?
I would say the search was definitely intense as you’d need to be actively searching if you’re keen on finding something as soon as you can, but it sometimes can be difficult as some companies only take on new applications at a certain period of the year. The application process I personally didn’t find too difficult, I had my CV ready to upload to any opportunities I found online and the preparation for the interview was second phase of the application process, which I felt was more intense as I didn’t know what to expect. I would definitely advise to pro-actively look online for the opportunities as that’s how I coincidentally came across my Level 3 Business Admin at Houses of Parliament, and to not give up just because you weren’t successful in one or two interviews!
What would your advice be to others considering swapping pathways to an apprenticeship?
Definitely would recommend! Apprenticeships open a new world of opportunities where you can pick up knowledge and skills that are transferrable to any workplace. It can give you a kick start into the beginning of your career path and it also gives you visibility of the vast number of careers that are out there that you probably didn’t know existed. You never know what your future path could hold, you can fall into something completely different to what you have always wanted to do just like I did and now I love what I do and wouldn’t picture myself doing anything different.
Take the chance and thank yourself later!