Lauren Hegarty
Caring staff make ‘all the difference’ to HR apprentice
An apprentice who aspired to gain first-hand experience in people management while gaining a critical qualification has urged others to consider an apprenticeship.
Lauren Hegarty, aged 23, is completing a Level 3 CIPD Human Resources Practice apprenticeship with City of Bristol College and eXPD8 Field Marketing.
Lauren opted to explore the apprenticeship route as it allowed her to continue working and earning money while providing her with the qualification she needed to pursue a career in HR.
Lauren said: “I liked that an apprenticeship provided me with an education, while gaining first-hand, relevant experience on the job – something which I believe to be invaluable!”
During the apprenticeship, Lauren is has gained vital knowledge and is now responsible for the learning management system and all the administration which comes with the programme. She also troubleshoots user problems and answers questions about the system, and has even had the opportunity to lead training sessions for the company.
The HR apprentice is now urging other learners to consider going down the apprenticeship route. She explained: “It doesn’t matter how old you are, what qualifications you already have. If you want to gain a new qualification while earning money and have plenty of support from both your employer and training provider, then do an apprenticeship!”
The qualification has allowed Lauren to gain ‘on-the-job experience’ which has set her up with a new set of skills which will ‘put [her] in good stead’ when interviewing for future roles.
Lauren praised the efforts of her lecturer, assessor and course programme manager for ‘always being on hand to help’ and going the extra mile.
She said: “We could always call or email our lecturer, Sue Foote, and she made time before and after lessons so we could speak to her if we needed to. Due to Covid-19, we couldn’t pick up our textbook and module booklets, so our Programme Lead Carol Mason ensured we received them by post!
“My apprenticeship assessor Sarah Mitchell has been on-hand to help from the very beginning. She has been very supportive and encouraging and my monthly meetings with her have been invaluable.
“I really felt like all the College staff I have encountered genuinely care and for me that makes all the difference.”
Find out more about the apprenticeship programme on our website and read the other inspiring student case studies.
