Since you completed your modern apprenticeship, how has your career progressed?
My experience in completing four levels of an apprenticeship has been insightful. I completed these with a company called CBT and my assessor was fantastic. I was lucky enough to have her for my whole seven years of studying, meaning we built a good relationship.
My knowledge and confidence have grown so much which has allowed me to feel more competent and whenever something is thrown at me, I can deal with it.
I started off as a care assistant with no experience and completed my SVQ level two, then went on to do my level three and did my level four when I became team leader. This allowed me to grow and progress up the ladder while still learning new things.
When I progressed to my role as service manager, I was very shy and felt a little overwhelmed with the responsibility but since I completed my Care Services Leadership and Management award, I feel like I can do it all and everything is less scary.
I take things in my stride and put forward everything I have learnt in my SVQs into new situations I deal with. It has been the best experience, and I am so glad I took advantage of completing all the courses so I could to get to where I am today.
I have reached the top of where I can be with my current employer, and I’m immensely proud that my modern apprenticeship allowed me to do this.
It’s opened up further career opportunities that I could consider in the future if I ever wanted to change what I was doing slightly, for example I could become a SVQ assessor, although I would need to complete another course to do this but having all my current SVQs opens more doors and makes that step a little easier.
How did you evidence learning for assessment?
I did lots of things when it came to showing my knowledge but my main way of doing this was through experienced situations and writing essays about them.
There are units that you must complete, and you had to meet the performance criteria and common knowledge points, that cover aspects of the job. For example, one of the units I completed was ‘manage and develop yourself and your workforce in care services’ and one of the performance criteria was to draw up a personal and professional development plan with workers to meet their learning and development needs.
I worked with a staff member to develop their knowledge by discussing development plans during our supervision. I assessed their work and identified areas that could be improved, then I would write it all up in an essay. I put together a development plan for the staff member, with clear guidelines, dates for tasks being met then both the essay and the development plan were put forward as evidence towards my apprenticeship award.
I really enjoyed this whole aspect of doing my award. I also had observations and personal discussions with my assessor, a lot of people can become quite nervous with this, but you must remember that your assessor is there to guide and support you. If there is something you are unsure of just ask, it’s all a learning experience. I was lucky to have a fantastic assessor, who I still work with today in developing my staff.
What words of advice would you give someone who is considering a modern apprenticeship?
It is honestly the best thing I have done. I wasn’t very academic and I’m much better at learning on the job. An apprenticeship allows you to work on the job while you learn, meaning you also get to have an income. This was a great for me as I knew I would struggle to afford to study at college or university without a job, but being able to have an income while I completed my qualification was amazing.
Apprenticeships are becoming the way forward and I would advise anyone to consider it. Never in my life would I have thought that doing an apprenticeship and completing four qualifications would have got me into an amazing position as a service manager at only 25.
A lot of people were told you won’t find a job if you don’t go to university, I certainly was when I was at school and I often think ‘if only they could see me now’.
Sometimes the pressure of going to university is a lot for people and having this opportunity to do a modern apprenticeship is so much more rewarding. I also found it has made me better at my job than it maybe would have if I went to college because it gave me a hands-on approach which works well for a lot of people.
What does it mean to you to be SSSC registered?
Being registered with the SSSC means a lot to me in my role as service manager. It has ensured that I have the correct qualifications to be able to conduct my role fully and safely. It ensures that I keep developing my skills and knowledge by completing my continuous professional learning (CPL) and this helps maintain best practice.
The SSSC also supports me in my role to ensure safety of individuals, for example concerns can be raised about behaviours, performance or competence of staff if there were to be any issues, ensuring that all individuals are kept safe from any harm.
It allows me to be competent and an accountable professional working under the national recognised standards.
SSSC registered
This article is part of our #SSSCregistered campaign where we’re sharing real life experiences of registrants who have recently gained their qualifications, alongside training providers and SVQ assessors to help the social care and children and young people workforce across Scotland learn more about the benefits of qualification and the support available.