Apprenticeships

"One of the best things about an apprenticeship is the opportunities you are given.

When I completed my A-Levels, I knew I was interested in an apprenticeship to get a recognised qualification whilst also gaining practical experience.

That’s where The Wigley Group came in, offering me a role as an Accounts and Finance Apprentice in January 2017. I was quickly exposed to a range of tasks within the accounts department and was able to apply my theory learnt with the apprenticeship to my day-to-day duties, building up valuable experience.

A year after starting as an apprentice, I was promoted to a new role as an Accounts Assistant, which gave me more responsibilities and the chance for progression within the company.

Little did I know that the following year I would be made a double-award winner! In 2019, I was crowned Apprentice of the Year at the Coventry Telegraph Business Awards and Accounting Higher Apprentice of the Year at Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Training. These are achievements I would never have expected when I began my journey as an apprentice, but I was over the moon! I had put in hard work and dedication and it felt fantastic to receive recognition.

Shortly after I was promoted to Contracts Finance Manager, and a year later I was made Finance Manager. These are opportunities that would not have been possible without deciding to start an apprenticeship.

But my studies haven’t ended with my apprenticeship. The Wigley Group has supported me to complete my Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) Levels 3 and 4, my Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Level 3, and I am coming to the end of my first year of completing my Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) qualification.

Looking back, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity this apprenticeship at The Wigley Group has given me. It has just been the start of my journey. I have recently celebrated five years at Wigley, and I can confidently say the apprenticeship has kickstarted a career for me that I love, with the additional bonus of being surrounded by a great team of colleagues."

"I’ve always been a more consciencous ‘doer’, than a theoretical learner.

For me, that made an apprenticeship at The Wigley Group an ideal way to begin my career.

I have always had an interest in numbers and data after discovering a passion for producing and analysing spreadsheets while studying business at Sixth Form, and then going onto explore this further at university with an accounting and finance degree. However I wanted to take a more practicial approach to gain qualifications through on-the job experience and part-time study.

My role as an Accounts and Finance Apprentice offers just that, enabling me to apply skills I have developed through various roles at different companies, as well as being able to enhance my knowledge and understanding of business transactions and record keeping.

Studying this at university on a similar course was something that I enjoyed, but my problem was never seeing tangible results for the work I was doing, and instead repeating one hypothetical situation after another.

However I am now applying my theory in practical scenarios. I get to follow the products of my work all the way through to fruition, which allows me to learn far more and learn and develop on the job.

In the last month I have been able to review the initial six months of the company’s activities based on daily data which I have inputted. That enables me to gain a far better understanding on the real-life impact these numbers have on the the final financial results for the year.

Already in the short space I have been here since joining in June, I have learned so much. An apprenticeship was the perfect oppurtunity to gain the experience and develop the skills I was so eager to attain, whilst working for a dynamic, fast-moving company.  

The experience has been invaluable and shows why an apprenticeship for me – and so many others – is a great option."

"Leaving my job as a full-time barber to start an apprenticeship in a sector I did not know much about was a nervous prospect – but it is the best decision I have ever made.   

I had previously worked as a barber for two years and it was a role I enjoyed, but I knew there was something missing and I wanted a job to help further my development.  

Marketing was not something I had ever considered before, but after reading up on the Marketing Assistant Apprentice role at The Wigley Group it seemed a perfect match for me. I also knew people who worked at Wigley, so I knew it was a nice place to work.

I started my apprenticeship in September 2021 with very little knowledge of the sector, but I have already learnt so much about the world of marketing. I am learning and building my knowledge whilst completing an 18-month college course, gaining skills and vital on-the-job experience in marketing and how businesses are run.

At times, all this new information has been slightly overwhelming, but that is okay, I am still learning. Luckily, I have a team of supportive workers at The Wigley Group, which means I feel comfortable in asking any questions or speaking up when I’m ever unsure.

Many people believe an apprentice is the person who makes the teas and coffees, but it is far from that. The Wigley Group have already given me great opportunities, such as assisting in a charity ball as well a company launch event. This is alongside many responsibilities from ordering collateral items to creating the graphics and copy for some of our social media posts.

I am trusted with tasks that I take real pride in. This has really aided my development, and my confidence has grown significantly. My colleagues at The Wigley Group believe there is no better way to learn other than getting stuck in, which is absolutely correct.

Having people around me that believe in my abilities makes my ‘job’ feel like a ‘passion’.

To anyone who is debating becoming an apprentice, all I have to say is you won’t regret it!

Being an apprentice is an exciting opportunity to be paid to learn, whilst being provided with high-quality training. There is such a vast range of opportunities at multiple levels. And there is something for everyone – from school leavers to people like me who decided their previous career just wasn’t right for them."

"After a knee injury made me rethink my plans, I found that starting a construction apprenticeship has been an unexpected but exciting opportunity.

Whilst in my first year at sixth form college, I unexpectedly dislocated my knee and had to take time out of education to recover.

During sixth form, I completed work experience for a national construction company and having enjoyed the placement, I decided to explore routes into the industry.

I hadn’t previously considered going into construction but I really enjoyed the commercial aspect of construction projects and my work placement manager recommended that I look at Wigley’s construction apprenticeship program that had just launched.

After a successful interview, I completed a training day at The Wigley Group, and really enjoyed   working alongside the construction team, so I knew the company would be a great fit for me.

The apprenticeship structure – which will allow me to complete a Level Four HNC in Construction Surveying qualification alongside the practical day-to-day work – was an opportunity I couldn’t miss.

Since starting as an Apprentice Quantity Surveyor in October 2022, I have been engaged from the beginning and got involved in a variety of Wigley’s construction sites and projects.

Whilst I was previously nervous to start the job given my lack of construction experience, my colleagues have been so supportive, and my experience and confidence has grown hugely.

The team has given me great opportunities to improve my skills and I am not just seen as an apprentice but as a valued and trusted member of the team.

The best part of my apprenticeship has been putting skills I have learnt into practice on real construction projects, seeing them through to their successful completion. 

Since I joined, I have gained increasing responsibility and was recognised for my high standard work by being awarded employee of the month in November.

Being recognised for my hard work and getting great feedback from my team has given me another boost of confidence to continue to excel within my role.

The company’s close-knit feel has also allowed me to learn from lots of different people about their experience in the sector and apply it to my own progression path.

Becoming an apprentice has already given me many opportunities in construction and procurement and I am excited to see what the future holds as I start my course training in the next few months."