Confused about what career path you want to take? In need of guidance and direction to help you realise your potential? You are not alone.

Christian Van Den Berg, now a Level 3 IT Apprentice at the 3aaa Milton Keynes Academy suffered from a very common fear within young people today; he knew his interests and passions but wasn’t sure how to make a career from them.

Christian said “Before I started my Apprenticeship with 3aaa, I was very confused about what I wanted to do and was in need of some guidance and direction. I knew I enjoyed IT but wasn’t aware of any jobs or careers that I could have within IT. I became worried that I would lose out on jobs to other young people that had a clear idea of what they wanted to do. After receiving the support and direction of the 3aaa team at Milton Keynes, I realised what I was good at and how I could turn it into a career and my confidence grew massively”.

Equipped with his new found confidence, Christian was then invited for an interview at Installation Specialist Ltd in Milton Keynes as part of the IT Support team. During the interview, Christian wowed Installation Specialist Ltd with his attitude and willingness to learn and was given the opportunity to continue his Apprenticeship journey within the company.

Rebecca Brooks, 3aaa Recruitment Executive from Milton Keynes said “Christian lacked confidence when he joined 3aaa and this came from not having any direction. He overcame this by researching, revising and working hard and as a result found out what he would be good at. His hard work was quickly recognised by his employer.”

Chris Crowley, Manager of Installation Specialists Ltd said “Finding an apprentice through 3aaa was highly successful for us.  The whole recruitment process was a very positive experience, especially given the assistance of Rebecca who was extremely helpful throughout.  Our apprentice, Christian, has by far exceeded our expectations and we would not hesitate to recruit future apprentices through 3aaa should the opportunity arise again”.

Many young people in our society have problems such as lack of confidence, immaturity and lack of motivation as they embark on their career journey.

Emily Sian Donoghue, an IT Apprentice from the Derby Academy had a completely different set of barriers to overcome as she started the career of her dreams with an IT Apprenticeship at 3aaa. Before starting her Apprentice journey, Emily suffered from an extreme form of Epilepsy and was having over 60 seizures a day.

Determined not to let this condition get her down and ruin her dreams, Emily gained the support of the team at the 3aaa Derby Academy and had her Epilepsy story published by CURE. CURE are a large organization in the USA who raise funds to research Epilepsy cures.

After Emily’s story was published with CURE, she decided to make a blog called the purple train to raise further awareness about her condition. Emily said “I wanted to bring people together to help people suffering from neurological conditions feel less alone. This was published on CURE and I am now part of the CURE foundation to help raise funds and awareness. My dream is to make a difference”.

Alongside her work with CURE, Emily is also completing her Level 3 IT Apprenticeship with both the 3aaa Derby Academy and her employer; Frenger Systems of Pride Park in Derby. With the support of both the Academy and her employer, this is a challenge that Emily has grabbed with two hands. “I have overcome a lot over the last year. I have gone from having over 60 seizures a day to none and I have come a long way”.

Emily has a unique, inspiring philosophy on life as she continues her Apprenticeship journey and beyond. “Never give up and don’t ask why, because every situation does not need an answer. I’m a firm believer that I don’t worry about anything that I can’t control”

Like many young people today, Lois Brown found herself struggling with confidence and immaturity as she embarked on a vital stage of her journey.

The young female Apprentice from the West Midlands made the decision to join the Accountancy Apprenticeship at the 3aaa Academy in Birmingham after finding it hard to overcome these important issues in her work life.

Shortly after joining the Apprenticeship, Lois worked closely with the 3aaa team at the Birmingham Academy to help her improve her confidence and interview skills and assist her in preparing for her real life industry experience. Carly Pollard, Recruitment Executive (Learner Intake) at 3aaa Birmingham Academy said “Lois has demonstrated proactivity and initiative throughout the programme and the development in her confidence and interview skills has been immense.”

With support every step of the way from the 3aaa team, Lois overcame her lack of confidence and secured herself the job of her dreams with the Birmingham based Accountancy firm, Ruhaan and Co.

Lois said “When I started at 3aaa I was fresh out of school with all the worries of the world on my shoulders but all that was short lived because the warm welcome I received both from staff and students made things so much better. I started to grow as a person and my confidence developed virtually overnight thanks to the excellent tutoring I received from the tutors and from the staff. Now I’ve become an independent young woman with more qualifications and a great job.”

Lois also puts some of her success down to the ‘3aaa Women’s Day’ at Birmingham on Thursday 15^th May 2014  which was specifically aimed at celebrating the contributions of women in the Technology, Business, Social Media and Accountancy sectors, including some of our own apprentices that have made their dreams come true through the Apprenticeship route.

“I was delighted to receive a prize on Women’s Day and be recognised for my hard work.  I found the day inspiring and it has made me even more determined to become an accountant!  It is definitely not a career just for men.” Said Lois.

A talented young Apprentice from the West Midlands has spoken about how 3aaa inspired him and helped to kick start his dream career in a time of major uncertainty and concern in his career.

It is a worrying time for many young people when they leave school as they are often unsure of the options available to them and where to go next in search of that life changing opportunity.

Liam Humphries of Heath Hayes chose 3aaa and the Apprenticeship route after originally deciding to go to university. Liam said “I firstly went to university to gain a degree in BA Product Design. Since school I wanted to do this and that was all I wanted to do as a job. I also did have an interest in IT but not as much as product design. When I got to university I found out it wasn’t what I thought it was. The course wasn’t right and I was really disappointed in what I had signed myself up for. I lasted 3 months at university, trying to wait to see if it would get better. I then stumbled upon a job opportunity at the South Staffs College with 3aaa.”

He added “I’m now very happy within my job. I have a new found love for IT and marketing because of this job. I also get a lot of satisfaction out of helping clients do well. We are looking to develop and grow the business further within the next 12-24 months.”

Liam is currently part way through his Apprenticeship with Online Marketing Surgery Ltd, based in Stonall in the West Midlands and combines his employment by attending his local Academy, where he learns all of the technical knowledge to compliment the skills that he learns within the work place.

It is very common in young people between the ages of 16 – 23 to have huge concerns about their careers and futures and many of these young people struggle to find this inspiration and support.

Liam speaks very positively about Apprenticeships and how this life changing opportunity helped to conquer these worries “I did have a period where I was worried about my career, that’s why I got myself out there. Self-motivation at this point was at an all-time high because I wasn’t just going to be a doll dosser. Although I had no real experience within Marketing or an office job I found it different to what I was used to. I had help from the Tamworth academy to give me the knowledge to go into an interview and be successful. The 3aaa team supported me every step of the way and helped teach me the personal skills as well as the necessary technical skills to kick start my career”