Mia is a Social Services and Healthcare Modern Apprentice, employed by North Lanarkshire Council with the Wishaw Locality Support Services Disabilities team. She started her apprenticeship in February 2022.
Why did you choose a modern apprenticeship?
I choose to apply for my modern apprenticeship through North Lanarkshire Council as I feel working with individuals is one of my strengths and I’ve always wanted to pursue a career within health and social care. North Lanarkshire Council offers apprentice programmes that are a combination of hands on experience while completing your SVQ and I felt that this would be a great opportunity for me.
'I have experienced and written about real life situations, which have now benefited me within my new role as a Locality Support Worker.'
What has your experience been?
My time as a modern apprentice was one of the best experiences I have had. In Wishaw locality I was surrounded by amazing colleagues and managers who were there to help me whenever I needed some guidance.
What is a typical day like?
During my time as a modern apprentice, I spent a lot of my day shadowing my colleagues who were supporting service users within their local community. Doing this allowed me to meet individuals who use our service. It allowed me to gain further knowledge in relation to the service that locality support services provides but also interact and gain insight into our service users' activities.
What do you like most about your job?
I like when I’ve been working with a service user to complete a certain task that they have identified as an outcome and seeing the individual progress and meeting this through my support within their local community. I find this part of the job very satisfying and rewarding.
How relevant is the qualification requirements to the work you are doing?
I feel the work I was given helped me fulfil the qualification requirements and allowed me to complete my SVQ adequately. I have experienced and written about real life situations, which have now benefited me within my new role as a Locality Support Worker.
What words of advice would you give to someone considering an apprenticeship?
It was a good life experience. My best advice is to go for it and don’t hold back.
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