Hope and Jakub secure apprenticeships at end of their T Level studies

Having both received their results this summer, we are delighted to reveal that both Jakub and Hope have gone on to secure apprenticeships.

Hope was offered a Human Resources Support apprenticeship with her placement providers Samuel Grant Packaging straight after finishing the T Level course, which will see her continuing her studies at York College one day a week.

Jakub was successful in his interview for a Sales Support Apprenticeship with HWL Trade Frames - one of the leading suppliers of window and door systems in the UK – having impressed on his work placement with the Department for Education, where he helped expand their T Level Ambassador Network.

We caught up with Jakub and Hope one last time to learn more about the final months of their course and how the T Level has shaped their next educational and career steps...

How pleased were you with your final results?

I got a Merit overall which, with my first-year grades, translated to B-B-B if I had done A Levels. At high school, I was always around the middle in my class in terms of grades, so I’m happy with that.

For me, I also feel that I have proven myself more during the work placement than in the exams.

What did you focus on during the final months of the course?

By around January, we had covered everything in the course, so it was just a matter of assessing what everyone’s weaknesses and strengths were. The teachers would then go back over anything we were unsure of.

I mainly needed more support with finance and the tutors gave me more work and guidance on how I could improve in that area. We did a lot of revision and it was great to have those two or three months to improve on our weaknesses.

What kind of tasks and responsibilities were you given during the final months of your placement?

I went to Manchester to meet with my T Level Ambassador Network leadership team for a final time and we covered what should be the next steps for the team to improve on what we had done during the year. Back in the office, my main task was improving the spreadsheet, which had every ambassador and every network on it.

There are now around 800 ambassadors. When I first started at the Department for Education, we had around 300 so, over the span of my work placement, we grew a lot and, in that time, with my work drafting social media posts and putting together newsletters, I feel I helped in that respect.

I also spoke at events that were attended by employers and providers, which helped them join the network. That was also experience - speaking in a full room of people and to more than would have been the case if I was speaking in a classroom.

It was kind of nerve-wracking, but it was exactly what I needed, because I didn’t have that confidence to speak to a large number of people before and it was great experience to come out of my comfort zone.

What did your final project involve?

In the second year, we didn’t have any written exams, so everything was focussed on our final project. The project we were set related to an online clothing brand.

The owner wanted to do an in-person store in different locations and two of the options were a pop-up store in an outlet or a regular store in a busy street, so we had to pick which we thought was the best. There was no clear option, so you wouldn’t fail the project if you picked one or the other.

You just had to explain the route you had decided on. It really helped you make sense of what it would be like to have the responsibility of managing a project and was a great way of practicing those skills.

Looking back, in what ways did your experiences on the course confirm that it was the right choice for you when you were considering your post-16 options a couple of years ago?

I didn’t know what I wanted to do really after high school. I thought I’d do IT or something, but I decided I’d like to do Business.

My high school was also keen on T Levels. They told me that it was a new qualification and that I should do it.

I decided on this course and found that I enjoyed it during our first year and I was happy that I’d chosen it. Then, during the second year, having no written exams was a big thing for me.

What has been most enjoyable part of the course for you?

I set out to York College to break out of my comfort zone. If I’d gone to a college in Leeds, where I live, I’d have probably hung out with my mates from Leeds, but York College presented me with new people and new opportunities.

Just meeting everyone in my class and the tutors was a great experience.

Anything you found particularly challenging and how did you overcome that?

On the surface, finance seems simple, but there are a lot of elements to it that go into a business that I didn’t know about. In the first year, we had a specific until on finance but, going into the second year, the tutors realised that it was still a weakness for everyone, so we kept going over the unit and I think repetition and revision is good.

Once you do something over and over again, you familiarise yourself with it. I believe I can do anything if I put time and effort into it.

How has the course helped you develop personally and professionally?

It has given me all the knowledge that I needed to understand business but, personally, I have found communicating with others has been very valuable and the course has also opened up new opportunities. Without going to York College, I don’t think I’d have ended up at the Department for Education and, meeting my team and working in an office job for the first time, really opened my mind to knowing that I wanted to do that as a career.

The most important thing the course has given me is work experience, professionalism and how to communicate with people in different situations.

What have you learned about leadership and management that you might not have expected to do at the start of the course?

Starting the course, I thought that being a manager was just about you being in charge of a team but, being a leader or managing a business, comes with way more responsibilities than I imagined. Having done the course, I realise that now and I know that I have the knowledge of all those responsibilities, so I could succeed in a leadership or management role.

What has made the placement aspect of the course so important in terms of your education in leadership and management?

If I was just doing a BTEC, for example, I would have that knowledge, but no experience of applying that knowledge to a role. By going into a work placement, you can put into practice everything that you’ve learned during College, which is really important.

I wasn’t involved with finance too much on my placement, which is probably why I found it a bit more difficult, but you’re never going to use all your knowledge in one role, as each role is different. Being able to apply most of your knowledge, though, was really good.

Did the placement experience confirm or change your future career goals?

I enjoyed working for the Civil Service and would like to do that again at some point. It also confirmed to me that I enjoy working in an office.

Even if I hadn’t been managing the ambassador network, I think I’d have still enjoyed the placement.

What’s next for you now?

I have secured a Sales Support Apprenticeship with HWL Trade Frames and, although I have gained a lot of knowledge from the course, I still feel I have more to learn. I feel I can do that on the apprenticeship and also refine and hone all my existing knowledge with the 20% of time I’ll still get in college.

I think it’s the best route for me. I was offered the apprenticeship the day after I went for an in-person interview, which went well.

I’ll be communicating to people a lot more over the phone and it’s a window company who are looking for really high standards in terms of customer service. I will be taking orders and giving them to the workshop, which is part of the office as well. 

It will be different from my work placement, but I feel prepared with the experience I got from the Department for Education and the knowledge I gained from the course. They really liked my CV but wanted to see the person behind the piece of paper.

What are your long-term goals?

I’d like to continue in the business if they have a role after the apprenticeship and, then, I’d always be looking out for Civil Service jobs and any role that I’m qualified for. Getting back into the Civil Service would be my main goal.

I maybe never thought of the Civil Service as somewhere that I wanted to be but, going in there with my work placement, opened my eyes to a new area.

How pleased were you with your results?

I was really happy with them. In the first year, I got a Pass, so I walked in on Results Day expecting to get a Pass again so, when I got a Merit, I was really surprised in a good way.

What did you focus on during the final months of the course?

We didn’t have any written exams to focus on, so we were mainly preparing for our final project and the teachers were asking us what we were struggling with and what we might want to do more on. They organised for different groups to focus on a topic they might be less confident on, while the rest of the group did individual studying.

It was more just revision if anything and the tutors helped us put any help we received into practice by giving us projects to have a go at to work out which parts we might still be unsure on. I think that really helped because you can think you’re confident in certain areas but, then, when you put them into practice, you can be confused in parts that you might not have expected.

What kind of tasks and responsibilities were you given during the final months of your placement?

About a month or two before I’d done all my hours, I got asked to do a written review about each department I’d been in and what I’d enjoyed and didn’t enjoy, as well as what I’d learned and wished I’d learned. Then, the final two departments I worked in were Sales and HR.

I sent the review to the Managing Director and he had a look and it worked out quite well, because somebody in HR had just left, so they needed help. For the last month, I was in HR and seeing if it was something I wanted to do and that’s when they offered the apprenticeship to me.

What did your final project involve?

We were given time slots on different days that we had to go in. First of all, you’d have to take notes on how you were going to plan the project.

Then, you’d actually do it and compare it to the research that you’d done when we’d first started it. You’d also have to proof check it to make sure it all made sense.

In the first year, we had to hold a meeting and talk about it for our project. This one was more about putting everything we’d done over the past two years into a computer.

We were given three options, but you had to do your research, and look at which you felt was the best for the case study we were given and, whichever one you chose, you kind of had to go with it early and your whole project was basically outlining why your option was better than the other ones. I enjoyed it and it was nice to see everyone’s different opinions, because there were no right or wrong answers.

It was just whatever you thought you supported the most and would be able to talk about a lot. I remember at first, I thought, ‘Oh, maybe that option wasn’t a good idea’ but, after I’d done more research, I was glad I had gone with it because, if you’d chosen one option and then changed your mind a couple of weeks down the line, you’d have had to restart everything and there were so many parts that you couldn’t go back and change because you’d already handed that bit in.

Looking back, in what ways did your experiences on the course confirm that it was the right choice for you when you were considering your post-16 options a couple of years ago?

I think the work placement was a big one, because I learn better doing half and half. If I’d have done A Levels, I don’t think I’d have enjoyed them as much, because you’re just doing the learning without putting it into practice.

The course wasn’t just about written papers and exams either. There was coursework that you could take time to do over a set period of time.

I prefer that because, if I write something, I like being able to go back over it and perhaps change it. You can’t change anything after you’ve done an A Level exam and I think the T Level model was more suited to how I learn best.

In school, some of it was coursework, but it was mainly studying for exams. I did OK with my GCSEs, but I just felt I would have done a lot better if it was how it was at College.

Anything you found particularly challenging and how did you overcome that?

I’ve never been the greatest with numbers and quite a bit of the course involved finance. I did struggle with that quite a lot.

I struggle with remembering formulas to work things out but, towards the end of the course, we had a finance teacher and he was great. He really helped and, when he noticed that people were starting to get a bit confused, he would go over things and explain it properly in depth and I ended up doing quite well on the finance part.

Everything else was fine. There were parts that were challenging but, if you just asked for help, things were explained to you and that solved the issue.

How has the course helped you develop personally and professionally?

It has given me a lot more knowledge. I thought I had an idea of everything before but, over the past two years, I’ve learned things I never thought I’d need to know.

I am also able to carry that into my apprenticeship now and my confidence has grown as well. I started the apprenticeship straight after College in May, so I’ve had to be confident and know what I’m doing. 

The course has definitely helped a lot in that respect, as has just speaking to people in class and the teachers. With my apprenticeship, the training started in September but I did some linked-in learning before then and the course has made me appreciate that there is so much you can learn to improve your knowledge and skills. 

I was very unsure what I wanted to do and an apprenticeship wasn’t really an idea of mine that I’d had so, if I hadn’t done the placement and T Level, I probably still wouldn’t know what to do.

What have you learned about leadership and management that you might not have expected to do at the start of the course?

I think a lot of people, including myself two years ago, think of leadership and management as telling people off and bossing them around, but it’s not that. It’s not what I assumed, but in a good way.

It’s more about being close to everyone and making them feel that they can come and talk to you. There are a lot more aspects to it that people don’t realise. 

I’ve learned that over the past two years and, now I’m doing the HR apprenticeship, it’s not a leadership and management role but you do work alongside managers and leaders and I think you need to be professional but in a caring way if that makes sense because, if people don’t like their managers or leaders, it’s not going to work. You obviously need all the business aspects, but you have to be able to build relationships with people as well. 

At College, I’ve also learned so much about the business and finance side of things

What opportunities did you get to demonstrate your leadership and management skills during the placement?

We had a Races Day at Ripon Racecourse and me and the lady that I work with had to organise who was going, all the deposits that needed paying, all the transport and making sure everybody was going to the right places to get the right buses. That might not be classed as leadership, but I still felt it was, because everybody is kind of looking at you to help them. 

There was also a Family Fun Day. I couldn’t make it but, while people might just see it as a social gathering, there’s a lot that you need to organise in the run-up to it. You have to make sure people are going to show up and that they’ve paid. 

I’ll be starting to plan all the Christmas meals soon, too. Although we only do two or three events a year, a lot of our work is centred around planning those, because there are so many people and it takes a lot of time.

What are your next steps? 

I’m doing a CIPD Level 3 Apprenticeship in HR with my placement providers Samuel Grant Packaging whose head office is in Leeds. I’m really pleased that they do the course at York College and the company were happy to fund me coming back here every Tuesday for a half-day in the morning. 

The rest of the day is then individual study, which I can stay and do at College or go home and do it. I’ll never be in the office on a Tuesday, as that’s my study day. 

It’s great for me coming back to College, as I know some of the teachers and I’m familiar with the building as well. It’s still nerve-wracking doing a new course and I know there will be adults doing it as well, not just people my age, but it’s nice knowing people here and where I’m going. 

I think if I’d have gone somewhere like Leeds, which would have been closer to the office, I would have been terrified. I’m happy at York and it’s close to my home, so I don’t have to travel far.

What are your long-term goals?

They have told me I can stay on after my apprenticeship, doing the same role but as a full-time employee. I’m just going to see how the course goes over the next 18 months, but I’d happily stay on.

Then, after I finish my CIPD Level 3, there’s Level 5 and Level 7 so, if I decide I want to carry on studying, I can look at that.

Harrison, who was the third student whose T Level journey we followed, along with Jakub and Hope, was unavailable to participate in this final instalment.  

To read Part 1 of the students' T Level journey, please click here

Part 2 can also be read by clicking here

Part 3 can be found here

Part 4 is available to read here

For more information on T Level and Vocational courses at York College & University Centre, please click here

To learn more about the T Level Leadership and Management course, please click here

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