Apprentices: the next generation

Charlie Dopson

Apprentice Engineer

What is your job role?

I am an apprentice engineer, responsible for router configuration and booking in and planning a range of installations for telecommunication jobs.

What apprenticeship are you doing?

Level 3 Information Communications Technician - Cloud Network Specialist.

What was your favourite subject in school, and how did it shape your career path?

My favourite subject was business. Studying business has helped me shape my career path as it is one of the only subjects at school where I could use what I learnt in class in the real world too.

What skills have you developed so far?

I have learnt so many new skills since starting my apprenticeship- such as working on different communication portals such as Horizon and getting more and more hands-on experience in router configuration.

What’s a challenge you've overcome, and what did you learn from it?

Personally, I have not had any challenges so far, but I know if I do, I have a great team around me in desk engineering who I can come to for support, this is really important to me.

Who has been your biggest mentor or supporter?

All my team have been very helpful and helped me when needed. They have all supported me and made me feel welcome. Also, having previous apprentices in the team has helped me a lot when it comes to all aspects of work due to them having first-hand experience of being apprentices themselves! My managers, Mike Clark and Travis Blake have been very welcoming and helpful.

Where do you see your career going?

Once I have completed my apprenticeship, my aim is to cement myself as an integral part of the desk engineering team here at Focus Group.

What advice would you give someone considering an apprenticeship?

100% do it! Not only can you use your skills, but you can also get the help and support of others from across the business, giving you a great experience on how a workplace works.

Louise Moore

Customer Service Manager

What apprenticeship are you doing?

Level 5 Operations Manager

What was your favourite subject in school, and how did it shape your career path?

I must admit, I didn’t enjoy school and spent more time outside of lessons than in them. The one class I did enjoy was child development. While it didn’t directly influence my career path, as I initially started my career in sales, it did equip me with valuable skills for people management, such as learning how to support individuals and recognising the importance of wellbeing.

What skills have you developed so far?

I’m only four months into my course, so my skills haven’t developed significantly yet. However, I’m only on module 2 of an 86-component learning plan, and I’m excited to expand my skillset over the next two and a half years.

What’s a challenge you've overcome, and what did you learn from it?

Over the past four months, I’ve found documenting the completion of my daily tasks to be challenging. At the same time as starting the apprenticeship, I was placed on medication for ADHD, and I must admit, reading the apprenticeship workbooks can be extremely difficult for me but that’s the reason I chose to do this course. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and introduce more organisation and structure into my days. I’m hopeful that in a few months, documenting my work will become much easier.

Who has been your biggest mentor or supporter?

I would say John Shelford has been my biggest supporter alongside my team. They constantly provide me feedback and give great solutions when I’m struggling with my apprenticeship work.

What advice would you give someone considering an apprenticeship?

I would recommend ensuring the apprenticeship you choose aligns with your goals and will provide the most benefit. I had some really positive discussions with our Learning and Development team about apprenticeship courses before choosing this one. They do require a significant time commitment so it’s important to make sure it’s the right fit for you.