My Apprenticeship Blog, by Emily

Over the past few months, I have been working towards completing my Business Administration Apprenticeship. To complete my apprenticeship, I was required to complete three end assessments; A knowledge-based test, a project / improvement presentation and a portfolio-based interview.

Knowledge Based Test – This was an exam which lasted an hour and consisted of 50 multiple choice questions. These questions were mainly based on key terms and regulations – Pleasingly, I passed this exam, with a score of 78%.

Project / Improvement Presentation - The project improvement presentation consisted of an initial presentation and follow up discussion about a project I had competed during my apprenticeship.

I chose to base my presentation around an internal review I completed designed to improve the WME siteworks reporting mechanism and to improve the query management within the siteworks department to improve efficiency. This presentation/ discussion was 30 minutes long, with 15 minutes for me to present my project and 15 minutes for a discussion. I believe this went really well – I was pleased that I managed to stick to the 15 minutes timescale for my presentation!

Portfolio Based Interview - The last section of my exam was the portfolio-based interview. This was the section I was most nervous about, as I felt like it was the hardest to prepare for. Beforehand, I submitted a portfolio with details on the skills, knowledge and behaviours I have developed during my apprenticeship that meet the grading criteria. This portfolio also included screenshots and statements from my line manager. My final portfolio was 23 pages long! During the interview, which was 45 minutes long, I was asked a range of different questions on everything I had learnt over my apprenticeship.

Upon completion of my apprenticeship, I had a discussion with WME about my future development and what would happen next.

I was delighted that they have offered me a second apprenticeship, which is a Level 2 Foundation Certificate in Accounting. While my first apprenticeship gave me a very broad knowledge of the working environment, this qualification is very specialist which will further support my personal development.

Towards the end of my Business Administration apprenticeship, I had been supporting the WME finance department and really enjoyed this and moving forwards I will be working primarily in the finance and billing sectors of WME. Given the nature of the business however, I am sure I will still help out in the energy services sector as well.

I am really excited to work in the finance area of the business, as I have always found this area really interesting. I think that the format of this apprenticeship will be very similar to my previous one, with having college days and assignments to complete, although this one is primarily taught online.  I am hopeful that much of my knowledge and experience from my Business Administration Apprenticeship will put my in a good position to succeed in this new apprenticeship.

I hope you have enjoyed following my progress over the last 18 months as I have blogged about my experience as an apprentice at West Mercia Energy.

Thank you for reading.