This week marks National Apprenticeship Week and we wanted to proudly spotlight the roles apprentices play in supporting our workforce.
In this blog, we delve into the transformative journeys of some of our apprentices, exploring their experiences so far, their commitment to their early IT careers, and the impact they bring to Bluecube. We pride ourselves on dedicating time to nurture talent through apprenticeships, and this has been recognised by local organisations and even country-wide, as we were ranked 9th in the UK Gov Top 50 SME Apprenticeship employers.
Our Head of Talent and Development, Rob Gilbride, has been working hard to ensure we support early careers and work closely with local organisations, schools and institutions regularly in the local area. We now have apprentices across many different functions within the business such as finance, cyber security and our service desk. Each individual has a unique story and pathway so let's find out more about them.
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Ashanti - Apprenticeship Ambassador 👩🏽💻
Ashanti's journey in IT started with a detour. Uninspired by narrow options on offer at sixth form, in Year 12, she sought an apprenticeship but landed in college studying IT – excelling academically, but not finding her flow. Recognising this, her teacher nudged her back towards an apprenticeship route, where her skills truly shone.
Two years as a Service Operations Apprentice at another local MSP, honed her technical knowledge, followed by a role at Santander in service desk and request management roles. This diversified experience fuelled her passion for different aspects of IT beyond the classroom. At 20, Ashanti joined Bluecube as an Onboarding Engineer, quickly progressing to UAM and Builds Coordinator, and then Project Coordinator by 21. Her unique journey meant she was tooled with abundant knowledge, gained through multiple IT areas, which proved invaluable in this leadership role.
Ashanti's story highlights the importance of finding the right learning environment and the power of diverse experiences in shaping a successful IT career. She's a testament to continuous learning, earning Prince2 qualification and pursuing more. We spoke to Ashanti to hear some more about her experience, here's what she had to say:
What was the most rewarding aspect of your apprenticeship journey so far?
"I learned things that you wouldn't necessarily learn in the classroom and this is what was most beneficial. "
How has this apprenticeship impacted your career aspirations and personal growth?"It exposed me to a lot at a young age, which put me at an advantage, as I was able to assess many areas of the professional IT environment and figure out which areas would suit me best."
Can you highlight a particularly challenging moment during your apprenticeship and how you navigated through it?"The portfolio and coursework aspect of the apprenticeship was quite challenging as it was better suited to that of a service desk engineer, so I had to go to the office in between lockdowns and learn extra things to be able to understand what wasn't in my usual day-to-day. I hadn’t done any of this in practice and didn’t have many resources or teams around to support me due to it being in lockdown.
My advice would be to look at the coursework and course material beforehand and see if it aligns with the practical job role or whether it may take some extra work to understand. Also, there are many more apprenticeships available now making it easier to choose one that works for you, so make sure to research them."
In what ways has the support and mentorship you received during your apprenticeship been instrumental to your success?"During COVID it was hard as I didn't have access to a lot of on-hand support. However, at the end of the day, you are in a workplace and everyone around you also has a job to do so it teaches you self-sufficiency and independence whereas at school there is a lot more hands-on support and available advice if you are feeling some type of way. "
What advice would you give to someone considering an apprenticeship in this industry?
1. Research the industry in detail because IT is much more extensive than one would realise. This understanding is what will allow you to make an informed decision about where you want to go/what you want to do within IT. It is such a big field and IT is only going to grow (it's everywhere). At the beginning of your career, it’s easy to assume it’s just about computers but there is much more and if you know more, you’ll be able to pick a better-suited apprenticeship which will allow you to learn more in that specific area.
2. Confidence grows as you work!
3. Be prepared to be independent and work with adults – it's an adjustment and can feel like being thrown in the deep end at times so being able to be self-sufficient and recognise everyone around is probably also very busy is important.
What skills or knowledge have you gained that you believe are most valuable in today's evolving job market?
- Discipline- Time management
- Versatility/adaptability as IT often will involve a lot of different elements you wouldn’t usually expect
- Confidence
- Conversational/social skills
- Independence
- Openness to learn new things
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Tom - Apprenticeship Ambassador 🔐
From a young age, Tom has loved computers and technology and therefore has always known that he would later want a tech career. He also knew he wanted to start an apprenticeship, as he much preferred the hands-on learning approach of apprenticeships when compared to the lecture-based learning of university.
Tom is our first cyber security apprentice who works within our SOC team. The cyber security apprenticeship works a bit differently compared to an ICT apprenticeship, and it is much more dynamic in the way the role reflects the current cyber security landscape and the changing needs of the team. It's safe to say, Tom has come in and been smashing it and has become a key asset to his teammates. We spoke to him to learn a bit more about his experience so far, this is what he had to say:
What was the most rewarding aspect of your apprenticeship journey so far?
"Building my confidence and having the support of the extremely talented people around me to learn from and develop has been rewarding. I’ve also received some truly wonderful feedback from my peers, clients and even some higher-ups in Bluecube. Not to forget, winning Team Member of the Month only two months into my employment was incredible. My Cyber Security apprenticeship has been everything and more than I hoped it would be!"
How has this apprenticeship impacted your career aspirations and personal growth?
"I was a bit nervous about coming into the apprenticeship with experience with technology, but not with Cyber Security. After working in the role for over 4 months now and learning more about the career progressions, I’ve been able to explore all the different career pathways and have an end goal in sight for what I’d like to do. My confidence and skill set has grown substantially and I’m eager to learn and grow more and more."
Can you highlight a particularly challenging moment during your apprenticeship and how you navigated through it?
"Getting to grips with working in a workplace environment in my first job, and after taking a gap year after Sixth Form, was a challenge at first. There was a lot to learn about how the business works, all the processes, procedures and structures, and the toolsets we use. Thankfully, I was surrounded by some incredibly talented people to shadow and learn from, and to help me out when I got stuck."
In what ways has the support and mentorship you received during your apprenticeship been instrumental to your success?
"I don’t think I’d be anywhere near as confident and capable without the support of my colleagues and the apprenticeship programme. Compared to university, I’ve been able to learn one-on-one with my colleagues and get hands-on myself with real tasks. Learning about career progressions from my colleagues has also motivated me to dive into unfamiliar territory and get stuck into complicated and interesting scenarios."
What advice would you give to someone considering an apprenticeship in this industry?
"Always look for an employer and a course with an environment you think you can thrive in. You don’t need to worry about grades, you’ll still be re-learning a lot of content on the course, and you’ll have plenty of time to complete coursework. Ask questions, never be afraid to bring new ideas to the table. You’ll be learning a lot, and applying that learning is key!"
How have you balanced your learning between academic study and practical work within the apprenticeship programme?
"As most apprentices do, I get 20% of my time – or one day per week – for my apprentice training. This is enough to complete the tasks set, and if I get any free time outside of practical work, I can always crack on and get ahead or do extra optional learning. I do need to do some work at home too, but it’s very manageable."
Could you share an accomplishment or project from your apprenticeship that you're particularly proud of?
"Only two and a half months into my time here, I won Team Member of the Month, which is voted on at the end of every month by everybody in the company. To win this, after such a short time here, and being one out of over 200 other team members, was astonishing! I’m extremely proud of myself for what I’ve achieved and the positive recognition across the company."
What skills or knowledge have you gained that you believe are most valuable in today's evolving job market?
"Some of the most important skills I’ve learned are customer service and people skills. With AI and automation taking over, it’s sometimes easy to think that AI will replace us. But the human factor is still critical, and learning how to do that right will be infinitely valuable. Along with this, my employer provides Microsoft Exams for extra certifications that would make me an even better candidate for any future roles in the industry that I go for."
How do you envision applying what you've learned from this apprenticeship in your future career?
"Once I finish my apprenticeship, I can use my knowledge, training, hands-on experience, and qualifications to delve straight into a well-paying, fulfilling, and exciting career. The knowledge I will have gained at the end of my course will allow me to explore a variety of career paths in both Cyber Security and IT."
