Alfie Leadbeatter IT Apprentice (2023 – 2025) 

My name is Alfie, and I first started my job in June of 2023 and started attending college in that September. I always enjoyed learning how computers work and what they can be used for whether it’s for creative work or data processing, so to develop my skills and improve my knowledge I looked for an apprenticeship so I could learn both inside and outside of the job. 

My apprenticeship is as an IT Support Technician. It is a level 3 apprenticeship where I interact with a variety of internal and external users of digital systems and different devices, this is either done remotely and/or face to face. Being a support technician, my role is desk based resolving user queries and fixing faults that are reported via email or sent to the help desk. For my coursework I needed to complete 4 to 5 portfolio documents each detailing a piece of work I completed during my job, and these would need to cover both knowledge points and skill points. The last piece of work is a project that has its own points to complete, the task was determined by my line manager. 

A typical day for me starts by logging into my computer and check for any new reports of faults that have been sent to me via email or registered on the help desk. When an issue is reported I visit the member of staff to learn more about the problem, these issues can include emails not sending, their monitor keeps turning off or they are unable to log into their account. Every issue I come across I log into my documentation so that others or I can refer to it in future. My day also consists of researching about new tech updates, such as new releases of hardware/software, security updates/breaches and vulnerabilities. Keeping up to date with tech sector is important as it may be relevant to the workplace. 

I also help on reception greeting beneficiaries as they arrive for groups, discussing with clients about room hires or directing external organisations to meetings with our members of staff. 

Working at CVST has provided me with so many different experiences that I have been able to learn from no day is the same, so it is always feels different. My colleagues are supportive, I can ask for help and manage my workload so that it is balanced effectively. Learning about the variety of services available has also allowed me to provide information to those who may need it.
My time at CVST has helped me build my confidence working within a team, sharing details about work I must do and communicating with beneficiaries and other organisations.

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Business Admin Apprentice (2023-2025)

My name is Rigby Haskins, and I first started my business administration apprenticeship with CVST in September 2023. I decided to undertake this apprenticeship after completing my sixth form studies before going to university in 2025. I chose this apprenticeship as it offered the best opportunity to better advance and learn a range of transferable skills that I could use in my future career with the ability to earn while I learn.

Being a business admin mainly consists of helping assist with the general day to day running of an organisation and administration. As a result I have the ability to assist any department in the organisation on either a regular basis, or as a one off.

My daily tasks can often include duties such as monitoring enquiries made in the admin inbox, helping with organising events, updating databases, record production, research, and more. Depending on which department wants/needs support on a given day. Specific tasks can include assisting the finance team with counting and recording incoming money each week or assisting the facilities team with postal records for all of the organisations incoming post.

In regard to my personal experience as an apprentice working at CVST, at the beginning of my apprenticeship I was a highly nervous and secluded person unsure of how to go about completing most tasks. However, I found that the people at CVST were always open to conversation and questions about anything I was unsure about which helped me a lot in developing my confidence and skills. My communication skills have developed the most in my time as an apprentice as I slowly became more self-assured while asking other people questions about tasks or while answering enquiries.

Taking and making phone calls while working on the reception desk was something in particular that I really struggled with at the beginning of my apprenticeship. The volunteers and staff that I worked with on the desk were consistently supportive in this, offering pointers of what to say and do to help me overcome this. Now I am able to take and make phone calls with hardly any issues, something which I did not think would have ever be possible two years ago. Additionally, by working with different departments I have developed key transferrable skills including research, document production, and IT.

Overall, this apprenticeship has been a great stepping stone for my future, developing skills that I can use for the rest of my life by working with the staff at CVST who helped support me in achieving this.

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