Do you need help to give you the confidence to kick-start a career in an ever evolving sector? Tom Suttill, a Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprentice from Leeds gained valuable advice and has now turned his passion into a career!

Tom commented: “3aaa have been fantastic throughout my interview and preparation for potential employers. I have attended a presentation they set up on interview techniques which I found very useful ahead of my employer interview. The staff at 3aaa are very helpful and determined!”

After deciding that A-Levels weren’t for him and wanting to learn in a practical environment, Tom decided to try the Apprenticeship route. He had attended numerous Apprenticeship interviews but had unfortunately been unsuccessful due to the fact that he had felt unsupported and unprepared for interviews by previous providers.

When Tom came for his first interview with 3aaa he was very quiet, shy and identified interviews as a particular weakness but his passion for IT and Digital Marketing still came across strongly in his interview. He had identified Digital Marketing as a growing industry that he could thrive in and that he would love the opportunity to earn and learn at the same time.

The team at our 3aaa Leeds Academy did a lot of work with Tom on a one to one basis to build up his confidence for interviews by setting up presentations and mock interviews where he could put his skills to the test.

After attending an interview with a local company, Tom found himself successful in getting a pivotal role in their company and is now looking forward to a new start with his new found confidence.

Matt Dickinson, Apprentice Intake at Leeds Academy said: “Tom has transformed from a quiet individual, low on confidence, who struggled at interview into an Apprentice who I think has all of the tools to become an outstanding ambassador for 3aaa. In the short time he has been with us, he has shown a great deal of determination and a fantastic can-do attitude.”

The post ‘The help you need to kickstart your career’ – Tom Suttill – Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprentice appeared first on Aspire Achieve Advance.

“When I started at 3aaa and Olamalu, I didn’t know what to expect with regards to what I would be doing on a day to day basis or what everyone would be like. After being here for 3 months I know I have made the right choice and I am really enjoying it. I left school half way through sixth form as I didn’t want to go to university and wanted to work in IT.

So an Apprenticeship seemed the way to go. So far on this Apprenticeship I have learnt some great things. The 3aaa Oxford Academy have taught me a lot more than what I would have learnt at school. They have taught me some basic skills such as taking a computer apart and putting it back together again and running a basic server. They have also taught me some things I had never really heard of before like SLA’s and scopes on DHCP servers. Doing an Apprenticeship gives you more freedom than school and gets you ready for working in the IT industry.

I had been interested in web design and development for a while but didn’t really understand how the whole process worked. Since starting with Olamalu I now know how it all works and each step that goes into designing and developing a website. For someone who didn’t know as much as they wanted, the company have been kind in helping me with this and helped me develop my skills. They have taught me things I always thought about but never understood like how layouts of websites work and the styling that goes along with websites.

One of the things that is best about this Apprenticeship is that when you are working on a website, you know that people are going to see what you have done and it should help them. Along with this I am now getting better at CSS and starting to learn the basics of JavaScript, which I am really enjoying and have always wanted to do. Everyone at Olamalu has helped me a lot with this and I thank them for that.

If someone wants to work with websites, or IT in general, I would recommend they take this Apprenticeship as it will help them learn things that they need to know and help them start their career. I have received a great deal of support every step of the way, which makes an Apprenticeship a great thing to do.”

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Connor O’Driscoll is one of our newly employed Apprentices at the 3aaa Birmingham Academy. However, his story is not your average applicant to Apprentice journey!

Through a partnership I set up at a Sandwell Connexions careers fair in West Bromwich Town Hall at the start of this year, I received a referral from Seetec a few months ago – Connor O’Driscoll. At first it seemed that I would not be able to progress his application as he had already completed some units of our qualification at college. However, his strong enthusiasm and passion for IT was apparent during his telephone interview and so I invited him in for a face-to-face interview. At this stage, it became clear that he was one of a rare breed – a young software developer! As a company we decided he was too good to lose and agreed to begin matching him to Employers.

Before we could begin this process, however, we required a few documents from Connor, such as ID, proof of his National Insurance number and GCSE certificates. This would prove to be a problem as he had left home and lived by a different surname to that on his birth certificate. Connor refused to let anything prevent him from joining our programme though and spent the next few weeks rebuilding his relationship with his mum, chasing his certificates, reordering his National Insurance number and even re-registering his birth under his preferred surname! His commitment to the programme at this stage was already admirable.

Jo Barrett, our Senior Apprenticeship Recruitment Executive at Birmingham, having waited patiently to send Connor’s CV out to companies, arranged two interviews for him. However, after attending the one at Bluetel Solutions and being offered employment with them, he was quick to accept their offer.  Bluetel Solutions is a company that is very particular with their recruitment and only employ those with the highest level of skills and qualities.  Their feedback for Connor was very positive stating that they thought he would fit in with the team well and that they liked his “get-up-and-go” attitude!

When asked how he feels about this opportunity, Connor said “I decided to apply for the Apprenticeship so that I am able to become educated in my chosen field, whilst gaining experience at the same time.  IT is what I have always wanted to do and it really is overwhelming how I have managed to secure my dream job at the age of 17!”

We are all very proud of what Connor has achieved so far and wish him every success with his IT Apprenticeship and beyond!

The post ‘Going the extra mile’ – Connor O’Driscoll – Level 3 IT Apprentice – Birmingham Academy appeared first on Aspire Achieve Advance.

The 3aaa Cambridge Academy have been fantastic helping me in my approach to companies and I quickly noticed a 300% increase in responses from Employers when I began working with the team. They spent time with me and gave me some tips and advice about how to prepare for and handle interviews.

The team were always willing to sit down, guide and talk me through any issues that I had and found ways for me to better myself. They talked to me like a real person and didn’t talk down to me. They constantly made me feel like their top priority.

The Academy is fantastic. They taught me how to approach companies professionally, without it feeling like a tedious endeavour. I am now working as an IT Apprentice for Studio 24 in Cambridge and couldn’t be happier. My friends and family have noticed a great change in me and have commented on how much happier I am. I am grateful for this fantastic opportunity and intend to stay on after my Level 3 apprenticeship and progress to Level 4!”

The post ‘The boost of confidence that I needed’ – Kieron Blackmore – Level 3 IT Apprentice – Cambridge Academy appeared first on Aspire Achieve Advance.

A truly, inspirational story to us all from Andy Green, RE Derby:

“One of our applicants who has been part of the Academy since the summer on his social media training finally saw his hard work pay off today (08/10/2014) and finally gained his apprenticeship.  Alex had been for 4 interviews without success and although nervous at the start he has gained confidence and good interview experience.

Alex has turned into a very proactive young person and has come into the Academy off his own back to spend days out on work experience at our current employers to gain employability skills.  At the academy in Derby we have given him employability skills and we have given feedback on his interview techniques. I have spent time with him in preparation for interviews have actively involved his parents too.

Alex attended an interview today and gave a really positive impression of himself and also 3aaa’s. Shortly after that interview, I received a call from the employer  and not only had Alex impressed that much they wanted to offer him the job, they are now also looking at taking on more apprentices  from 3aaa.

The moral of the story, persevere with those applicants, you never know what it may lead to!” Andy Green, RE, Derby

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Stephen has settled quickly with his current Employer, the Leicester Racecourse, after the 3aaa team at Leicester helped him to find the Employer that best suited his needs. Whilst completing his Apprenticeship at the Leicester Racecourse, Stephen also attends the 3aaa Leicester Academy on a weekly day release to ensure that he gets both the practical and theoretical skills that he needs to prosper in his career.

Stephen said “My experience with 3aaa has been a brilliant one. The training I have received has been first class and provided me with the skills I need to do the career I want to do. The support which the Academy staff have provided has been fantastic. I had a problem with an Employer and as soon as they were aware of the problem they took me out of that environment and helped me get a new placement within Leicester Racecourse where I am enjoying every day that I am working there. Some of the tasks which I do on a day to day basis are keeping our social channels up to date with content and information as maintaining the website and other marketing channels. On race days I am out and about taking photos and videos of all the action.”

After his initial setback, Stephen has now overcome these barriers to become an asset to his Employer. Claire Phillips, the 3aaa Leicester Academy Manager said “He has flourished within his time at Leicester Racecourse so far. The Leicester Academy recently supported Stephen and the Racecourse by attending the Ladies Day racing on 5th July 2014.  Stephen was working on the day and was responsible for the promotion of the event using Social Media updates and also for enhancing the customer experience throughout the event. His Employer is delighted with his excellent work ethic and is very happy with the quality of his work. Stephen now has an excellent opportunity to progress to a full time position at the end of his Apprenticeship”.

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Lucy Norton, a Level 3 IT Apprentice from the West Midlands entered and won the TCS Appathon Challenge with the dart game app that she had designed specifically for the competition as part of her Apprenticeship training with 3aaa. http://www.mykindacrowd.com/Challenges/tcs-appathon. The flexibility of the 3aaa training programme gave Lucy the opportunity to enter the competition as part of the web development training week. Lucy, currently an Apprentice with U-Tax Accountancy Services, used the competition to enhance her skills in IT and App development as part of her overall Apprenticeship training. Laura Armfield, the 3aaa Regional Apprentice Intake Executive for the Midlands said “Lucy is a standout Apprentice and one of our most successful Apprentices. As well as excellent feedback from her Employer she has gone above and beyond to improve her skills in different areas. Winning this competition is just one example of that.”

As a result of winning the TCS Appathon Challenge, Lucy was then invited on a week’s work experience at their annual Future IT Technologies Inspirational Week called ‘Mission You’. TCS, who are part of the TATA group hold this annual inspirational week for 14 -18 year olds to give selected Apprentices a taster of what it’s like to work at one of the world’s leading technology firms. As the week went by, Lucy continued to impress the team at TCS and may have an opportunity of a full time role following the completion of her Apprenticeship with U-Tax and 3aaa. Anshoo Kapoor, the Head of Talent Management at TCS was delighted with Lucy’s progress within such a short space of time. “Lucy has been an absolute pleasure to have on board and shone with her contributions and confident ideas along with expressing great knowledge of the IT industry. We would love to have Lucy on board in the near future and would be very willing to work with 3aaa to recruit Apprentices to do rotational activities between their departments for broader knowledge and experience.”

Lucy reflected on her experience in an extremely positive manner as she realises the sky is the limit as she continues on her Apprenticeship journey. “I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to work for one of the biggest companies in the world. I enjoyed working for TATA in London and it has opened doors for new Apprentices possibly working for them through 3aaa as well as a possible job for myself once my Apprenticeship is finished. During this week I have learnt valuable skills to take to the workplace and have worked with a wide range of people with different experiences. I would go back in a flash to redo the entire experience again”.

Lucy’s hard work and dedication can be seen as an inspiration for all Apprentices that are at the start of their journey. Laura Armfield, the 3aaa Regional Apprentice Intake Executive for the Midlands added “She is an active and outgoing member of the group who has pushed herself to seek out new challenges and put herself in new situations. This is a positive message to all young people out there; with 3aaa’s support and your own hard work, you really can reach your goals and be whatever you want to be”.

The post Inspirational 3aaa Apprentice Lucy Norton wins Prestigious National Award appeared first on Aspire Achieve Advance.

Matt England, a Level 3 Apprentice from Oxford started his Apprenticeship with 3aaa with a great passion and interest for IT along with exciting plans and ambitions for his future. Unfortunately for Matt, he struggled with other aspects of the course and he worried that this would stop him reaching his ultimate goal; a successful career in within IT.

Liz Baker, Apprentice Intake Executive for the Oxford Academy said “When Matt arrived for his interview he was very nervous and hardly spoke yet he was very polite. He did not pass his initial assessment in Maths and asked if he could retake it. We arranged for another interview and gave him some BKSB practice units. He came back and passed the Maths. However, he would have to take Functional Skills in this area. Myself, the tutors and the assessors all sat with Matt throughout his 14 months with us. Matt continuously came back from lunch early or would come in to study and do make up work to ensure he was completing his work correctly. He once told us that his secondary school Maths teachers would ignore him and not teach him anything because he was so far behind and that we are the only ones whom have taken the time to teach him Maths since he was in primary school.”

Matt is full of praise for the Oxford team as he can now progress with his Apprenticeship and follow his dream career in IT. “I wasn’t successful at first but I finally completed my Functional Skills in Maths at the third time of asking thanks to the support of 3aaa. After I failed at the first two attempts I then buckled down and we spent a full day going over my practice assessments and discussing how to work out the problems. This time I didn’t just pass the exam, I received a mark of 90%. I am so excited and proud of himself and I cannot wait to continue my IT Apprenticeship and reach my career goals. The staff at 3aaa were excellent and helped me improve my Maths knowledge without ever getting frustrated with me.”

Matt is now continuing his Apprenticeship with 3aaa and his Employer, CSE Education who are delighted with his progress. Jason Bowyer, Manage Service Engineer of CSE Education said “Now that Matt has passed his functional skill, his placement in the company is now secure and we can rely on him to carry out the tasks to the best of his ability, with a recognised qualification. He has fitted into the team brilliantly and we are looking forward to seeing him progress within the business”

The post ‘Helping young people reach their goals’ – Matthew England, Level 3 IT Apprentice appeared first on Aspire Achieve Advance.

Chris Hicklin, a Level 3 IT Apprentice from Tamworth contacted 3aaa after he did not get the results that he needed to go to University. After his initial disappointment, he soon realised there were other options available and he was excited about the benefits an Apprenticeship would offer him. “I decided to apply for an Apprenticeship after college as I did not get the required grades to get into University. I soon realised how beneficial an Apprenticeship could be to me as I looked to start a career in IT. It’s great to be able to learn the skills I need whilst earning a wage. Assessors visit me every month or so, but the rest of the time I’m just working like normal. My IT knowledge has really developed since working for Trent & Dove and I am now familiar with a range technical issues, from telephony systems to computer networking.”

Samantha Ryall the 3aaa RecruitmentExecutive for Tamworth worked closely with Chris to help him find an Employer that would suit his skills and personality so that he could prosper within his role. She said “After completing a college course in Computer Gaming, Chris wanted to go to University but unfortunately did not get the grades he needed. Chris then researched Apprenticeships as he looked for an alternative path and found that 3aaa would support his career goals. The Apprenticeship opportunity has allowed Chris to follow his passion for IT and provided him with the vocational studies as well as the hands-on work experience that he needs for career within the industry.”

As part of his Apprenticeship, Chris works for Trent & Dove Housing in Burton upon Trent, who are delighted with his progress. Anita Mansfield from Trent & Dove Housing said “Chris has developed within his role of IT Support Technician, and is now able to resolve a wide range of IT problems around the organisation. He is enthusiastic to keep learning and has an ambition to one day become a manager within a specialised role. He has become an excellent member of our team.”

Chris now sees his initial situation as a blessing in disguise. “In the future I would like to become specialised in one area of IT, and perhaps take a managerial role where I can supervise a team of people. The best thing about my Apprenticeship is that everything I learn is put into practice. I now have the qualifications and real life work experiences that will help me to get noticed by other Employers. Everyone at Trent & Dove has been really supportive during my Apprenticeship. I would recommend it to anyone who is starting out in their career.”

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Ben Harvey, a Level 4 IT Apprentice from the Derby Academy did just that. Ben completed his Level 3 IT Apprenticeship at our Nottingham Academy in November 2013 and in December 2013 he progressed with the Derby Academy and his Employer to study his Level 4 in IT. After a successful first 12 months, Ben decided that he wanted to follow his passion for IT and challenge himself further within this sector.  Laura Bayliss, Apprentice Intake Executive at the 3aaa Derby Academy said “During his time with 3aaa, Ben has been submitting work of the highest quality to his Assessor and he is well respected by in his peers in the Academy who see him as a role model and someone they wish to emulate in the future.”

Ben is employed by 3aaa and is part of the IT team based at the Head Office in Derby. Laura added “At work, Ben is the 3aaa Web Developer and has played a fundamental part in redesigning the company web page in accordance to the brand standards of 3aaa as well as meeting the client specification as set by the management team”.

As Ben finished his Level 3 Apprenticeship in November 2013, he was faced with a difficult decision about how he could progress towards the career of his dreams. After discussing his options with the Derby team, Ben decided that continuing on to complete his Level 4 Apprenticeship was a no brainer. He said “The Level 4 qualification has given me a greater depth of understanding of the industry as a whole which will help me to achieve more as my career progresses in the future.  Within my department at work we employ other Apprentices which has helped me strengthen my knowledge by providing support to them.”

Ben also spoke about the challenge of the Level 4 Apprenticeship, one in which he relishes as he looks to reach his own personal career goals. “My main challenge is that there is a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it alongside a full time job.  It is a big commitment and I have learnt to structure my spare time to ensure that I do not fall behind with my independent study. Within my Apprenticeship I have the added benefit of working for 3aaa and my Assessor Lisa always makes time to support me when needed.”

Ben recommends the Level 4 qualification to anyone who is finishing their Level 3 and looking to progress further. “I have learnt a lot more at a higher level of IT than I had encountered previously and this has been extremely interesting as I am always looking to challenge myself. The level 4 IT qualification has been worth the extra time and effort and I am proud to say that I am going to be qualified with a Level 4 HNC/HND foundation degree in the not so distant future.”

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