We talked to Daryl Boylan, MI Manager who has utilised Apprenticeship Training to develop and nuture his team.
Why did you decide to use apprenticeship programmes to upskill and develop your team?
For my Data Technician apprentice, it gave me the opportunity to take a talented member of the contact centre with no previous experience in an analytic role to develop them into a junior data analyst. The apprenticeship in conjunction with on-the-job training has really excelled the learning journey for my apprentice giving him both skills and confidence to do the job. Of course its vital that the apprentice has an appetite to learn and a passionate interest for the position, which is what I looked for in the interview process.
For existing staff the apprenticeships from Level 2 to Degree we offer have been invaluable.
I had one of my team complete an apprenticeship programme this year. While on the journey she received the apprentice of the year title a long with a strong score and a heap of skills and confidence.
My more senior member of the team is currently on the second year of a Data Science Apprenticeship Degree. He has really taken our team to the next level in terms of capability, learning new skills and technologies that he is able to incorporate into our work, creating efficiencies and better ways of working. He has also been instrumental in the development and upskilling of the rest of our team. This has proven to be a very worthwhile investment.
How have you seen your apprentice grow since starting the apprenticeship?
My Data Technician apprentice has just had his one year anniversary in this job. He has not only grown in skill but has really come a long in confidence to and is a very valued member of the team.
My other team member who completed the course last year has now moved up from junior position to a fully fledged analyst. Her skills set has grown immensely, along with her confidence
Finally, my more senior team member (longer standing) is over halfway into his degree and brought a host of new skills and technologies to our team and ways of working.
What Manager involvement have you had in the apprentice’s learning journey and how do you support your apprentice?
I am a very hands-on manager, and I feel this is important when you have a developing team. For all my team members, I attended all their meetings and 1-2-1s to check on the progress and discuss ways we can incorporate the training programmes into our everyday jobs. I took on the mentor role by default, reviewing work, ensuring course work was delivered on time and making sure they had enough time to complete work. I found it easier and more beneficial helping adapt our work to the programme ensuring the tasks they were working on helped towards their new learning but also our objectives.
Using material I requested from the training providers I helped create mock scenarios for my staff to prepare them for the EPA.
How has your apprentice made an impact on your business area and describe the return on investment in MHL apprenticeships?
All three of my team have been internal recruits – without the skills or knowledge they had to apply for this role. I based the recruitment process on enthusiasm to learn, work ethic and the proficiencies in the previous roles. In the current climate to recruit staff into my team with the relevant skills and experience would come at premium and the competition for similar roles in the surrounding area was big. When advertising in the past we always struggled to get the right people.
The apprenticeship scheme has enabled us to invest in our staff, to give them opportunities they may never have had elsewhere, to put them in a skilled job they wouldn’t have been able to apply for previously, and to give them a career! In return we have gained knowledge, business knowledge that an external recruit wouldn’t have, we have gained loyalty, and we have been able to mould a dynamic team with various different strengths.
The apprenticeships have really shaped our way of working, we have been able to make efficiencies in reporting, and also been able to open up our analytical capabilities providing vital insight to different areas of the business.
What Tips would you share with a line manager thinking about using apprenticeships for upskilling or bring new talent into their team?
My advice is to go for it. Do your research first, work with the apprenticeship manager and her team to find a course that fits your teams needs and skill set. It’s a great way to increase the skill set of your existing team and bring life and new ways of working into their day to day job.
For new talent – I think this is definitely an avenue you should consider. We have so much talent already in the business and this gives our staff a great opportunity to progress and build a career.
Having staff on programmes isn’t always ideal, and it did take some getting used to, but as I mentioned in my testimony, if you actively participate in the apprentice journey and work with your apprentice you can shape the course and assignments to align with your teams objectives – just don’t have to many on a course at once!
Thanks Daryl some great insight into how apprenticeships are making an impact in your team and to the wider business.
What a great testament to our “One Marston” strategy!
Do want to know more on how you can be part of this development journey?
For more information you can find it on our Apprenticeship Hub page or by emailing apprenticeships@marstonholdings.co.uk
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