“Why are you doing an apprenticeship when you could go to university?” The question that is frequently asked when people find out you aren’t a student. My name is Holly and this is my story of being Affari’s Apprentice.
Let’s rewind to July 2016 when Affari offered me an apprenticeship in Business Administration. I was filled with nerves and mixed emotions as I was only 18 years old and had little experience of how SME’s operated. However, my first week took me by surprise as I realised Affari did not offer your stereotypical office job. Now I’ve hit my one year anniversary, and so far, so good.
How do I feel about being an apprentice at Affari? Honestly, I feel no different to everyone else here as equality is a strength of Affari’s, nobody feels like they are at the bottom of a ‘hierarchy’ and so this allows me to have confidence and feel important within my role. Being in my position at Affari is exciting as I have developed so much in just one year, so what’s yet to come is very exciting.
People my age who are on apprenticeships will relate when it comes to the ‘U’ word. University. It is always asked as to why I didn’t go to university, is it because of cost, intelligence, effort? I didn’t go because I didn’t want to, simple. I’m more than capable of going to university but I’m more of a practical person. Plus who doesn’t want to earn and learn at the same time! I consider myself at a massive advantage due to being on an apprenticeship as I’m already progressing majorly at only 19 years old. So no, I do not regret not going to university, but perhaps I would if I was at another company other than Affari!
Affari selected me due to having an equal balance of creativity and business knowledge as I was studying Business Studies and Photography in my A-Levels beforehand. Another reason was my interesting experiences like volunteering in Uganda when I was 15 and being a member at the Television Workshop for five years. I have learnt a lot here at Affari and cannot credit them enough as I have not only made progress within my role but I have grown confidence within my personality. My aims here are to be kept on full time once my apprenticeship comes to an end and to evolve further.
Overall, I highly recommend an apprenticeship to anyone considering it as you are not only getting paid to learn everyday rather than be in debt. But more importantly, it allows you to grow as a person. Thank you Affari.
