An Instil apprenticeship > anywhere else
I started to consider becoming an apprentice when I entered my penultimate year of Banbridge Academy. Having the GCSE and A-Level results required for going down the university route made it seem like the obvious choice. However, whenever I looked into apprenticeships and all the benefits they offered, it was clear this was the route I wanted to take.
I decided to apply for an apprenticeship at Instil because of the brilliant company culture, high quality experience I would gain and many benefits provided like private healthcare, a hardware budget and a company ski trip. So far, the apprenticeship has been eye opening in terms of what I didn’t know and just how much I’ve learned and still have to learn. It’s also been a lot of fun, I’ve made a lot of new friends and the day to day work is really enjoyable.
Due to the fact I’m working full-time, I’ve had the opportunity to learn so many new skills such as how to write clean code, functional programming, Typescript, React and Java to name a few. Additionally, I’ve also developed soft skills like writing, problem solving and decisiveness.
Going straight from secondary school into full-time work might seem like a lot, but Instil provides me with great support in lots of different forms. For example; training for any languages I’ll ever need to use, 1 to 1s to discuss career development with my manager, a buddy who’s there to support me, and I know if I ever asked anyone in my team for help that they’d be 110% happy to.
An apprenticeship with Instil is not an inferior relationship they hope to last just 3/4 years, it's a long term career with the same opportunities available to everyone regardless of how they entered the company. Moreover, when my apprenticeship is complete, I plan to keep working at Instil to continue progressing my career and supporting other apprentices in the scheme.
The advice I’d give to someone thinking about an apprenticeship would be to think long term, what will put you ahead of everyone else? In my opinion, that would be an apprenticeship. If considering more than one option, look at the company benefits and culture, you’re going to be with them for several years and it will be vital long-term.
Instil are currently looking for apprentices through the Workplus programme. Find out more here.