One of Norfolk Chamber’s key campaigns is ‘Developing the Talent of our Young People’ – we are working with our members, stakeholders and the British Chamber’s of Commerce (BCC) to bridge the gap between education and the world of work. We are also part of a BCC pilot project to develop the ‘Young Chamber’ offering to schools to enable them to better connect to their local business community.
Over the last 3 years, Norfolk Chamber has had a total of 4 apprentices, which at one point represented 25% of our workforce. 2 apprentices graduated last year and we were delighted to be able to employ them upon their graduation. Of the remaining apprentices, we now have 1 apprentice, Darcy Bayfield, who is nearing the completion of her Level 2 apprenticeship and another, Samantha Brown, who having completed her Level 2, is now close to completing her Level 3 apprenticeship. We are now starting to recruit for another new apprentice to work in the events department.
One of our apprentices, studying for a Business Administration Apprenticeship at Level 2, is Darcy Bayfield. Below she outlines why she chose the apprenticeship route.
Darcy Bayfield – Business Administration Apprentice said:
“During the last year of my A-Levels, I had a very big decision to make – what am I going to do after I have completed my A-Levels? I had my sights set on going to University to study Accountancy and Finance. My sixth form gave me a lot of opportunities to attend various workshops and meet with business men and women. A lot of them told me that they went to university, but a few said they undertook an apprenticeship. I hadn’t even considered an apprenticeship, but wanted to know all my options, so I did some research.”
“The more I learnt about them, the more I liked the idea of becoming an apprentice. Not only do you benefit from not having a university debt, you also gain a better understanding of the company that you are working for. I liked the idea of essentially starting at the bottom and working my way up. You also gain experience in the workplace and you are given many opportunities to develop your skills.”
“I decided to select an apprenticeship in Business Administration. I achieved an ‘A’ in my Business Studies A-Level and I really wanted to put my knowledge to good use. When reading the job description for the apprenticeship at the Norfolk Chamber, I was really interested in the day-to-day duties and the key responsibilities. I had no idea that I would end up working in other departments too!”
“What I enjoy most about being an apprentice are the opportunities that you are given. Norfolk Chamber has given me numerous opportunities to develop my skills and to be trained up in other departments. I have been trained to do work in the Accounts department and also in the International Trade department. For the International Trade work, I had to take additional exams to become qualified to stamp official documents. I also carry out day-to-day general office duties and have various responsibilities, such as being in charge of all the stationary orders for the Chamber. This has given me an insight as to how the Chamber works and what happens in each department. Every day has something different waiting for you, which is great.”
“Upon completion of my apprenticeship I hope to have achieved a qualification that I can add to my CV. Plus, I also hope to have developed my own skills and to have built good working relationships with my colleagues.”
Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:
“At Norfolk Chamber our apprentices form an integral part of our work force and are valuable asset to our business. Historically apprenticeships have been perceived as the ‘poor relation’ in comparison to a university degree. However, more and more employers are seeing the advantages and benefits of apprenticeships, and our apprenticeshave brought new ideas and innovations to our organisation.”
“Apprenticeships will not only give Norfolk’s young people the skills they need, but the experience and ‘on the job’ training. Plus, they also offer local employers the chance to mould their new recruits and effectively grow their own future workforce. I would recommend all employers, both large and small, to find out more about apprenticeships.”
