Traineeship and apprenticeship has given me valuable life lessons

For National Apprenticeship Week (3 to 9 February 2020), Billy Williamson, apprentice in the Trust's Learning and Organisational Development Department, shares his story about how a traineeship and apprenticeship has been a valuable start to his career since leaving school.

Billy Williamson

Before starting an apprenticeship, 17-year-old Billy attended a traineeship with Trust. This is a course with work experience that gets people ready for work or an apprenticeship. He then progressed onto an apprenticeship in Business Administration in the Trust's Learning and Organisational Development Department.

Billy said: “I was ready to leave school early because I didn’t enjoy school and A-levels were my last choice of whatever I was going to do.
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Gaining confidence

“The traineeship has helped me to gain confidence in a working environment and slowly get into the working mindset as opposed to being at school. It also helped me gain confidence outside of work as you are working with people who aren’t in the same age group. The traineeship dramatically enhanced my interview skills and got me ready for working full time which made starting work a lot easier.

“I attend Prostart training sessions every month to advance my skills in my chosen apprenticeship field. I also get dedicated time to do off the job training which counts towards my overall qualification. When doing the traineeship I attended work three days a week and this slowly increased into my full time apprenticeship. Starting with a few days a week eased me into the working environment, which made it easier.

“The traineeship helped me to be prepared for my interview as it gave me skills that were suited for the job role which set me apart from other candidates. It also made me a lot more confident in the interview which was a massive help. When I was asked questions about what I could do and what I could bring to the role I was able to explain that I was comfortable and knew the systems in place.

You don’t get treated like a child anymore; you are given
your own responsibilities 

“Coming from school into a working environment and a large trust as big as the one I am in is a huge step up from anything at school. You don’t get treated like a child anymore; you are given your own responsibilities and tasks which to me make it a lot more enjoyable than school.

"I would definitely recommend a traineeship followed by an apprenticeship as it gives you valuable life lessons and has help me build and strengthen my skills, as well as earning an income.  The skills you learn are ones you could only get from hands on experience rather than all classroom based subjects; it adds some variety to your learning.”

Nottinghamshire Healthcare offer a variety of apprenticeships from Level 2 to level 7 across most job roles. These can be found on the apprentice government website: www.apprenticeships.gov.uk

For further information and advice on apprenticeships at Nottinghamshire Healthcare email Heather Porter, Learning Advisor and Apprenticeship Lead, at heather.porter@nottshc.nhs.uk