My role at Metro Bank is split into several categories. I lead a team of six people and look after their growth and development; I oversee projects and help to manage capacity around designing new training or running the programmes we have in our catalogue and I liaise with senior stakeholders to ensure the L&D strategy aligns with business objectives.
My team has been fully operational during lockdown and the demand for training has increased with most colleagues now working remotely but still requiring training and development. It’s a very busy job.
Why did you want to do the Level 5 L&D apprenticeship programme?
Metro Bank is an apprenticeship provider and I have seen how beneficial apprenticeships can be. The apprenticeship gives that extra level of opportunity to apply the learning and development with support in your day to day role and that appealed to me.
How did you find the modules covered?
Reed Learning was very flexible because of what was going on at work and they swapped things around to make the learning more applicable to my current situation. It’s interesting that all the modules were aligned to what was happening at work. I gained the knowledge and skills from the qualification and strengthening them on the job. I am so pleased I went down the apprenticeship route.
How did the programme work?
For me, it’s a combination of guided learning and self-study. The guided sessions and workshops we had for each module gave me deeper insight into the different skills I needed to learn or enhance. Self-study let me explore the aspects that I was more interested in and provided more flexibility to dive deeper into theories and concepts which I can then apply to my working life. The regular reviews I had with my adviser acted as a checking point to ensure everything is on track.
I was on a public programme, so my cohort had a mix of apprentices, from different companies. Reed Learning makes sure that everyone’s needs are covered
How did you work with your adviser?
My adviser was fabulous. She was so supportive and provided very constructive feedback in a direct way which I like. If I was confused about anything and asked her on OneFile, she was on it straight away. Joseph Grech who runs the webinars is also absolutely brilliant. He made the webinars really flexible to fit what we need, especially during the last few months. They’ve both been significant to my Reed Learning apprenticeship journey.
What skills and knowledge did you hope to develop during your apprenticeship?
Overall, my main goals were to increase my knowledge and build my confidence. I work with fairly senior people in the company and because of the skills and knowledge I have learnt, I have already seen an improvement in my stakeholder management. It has helped improve my understanding of group dynamics which has in turn increased my confidence.
What do you think the apprenticeship and CIPD qualification will do for your future career?
One of the main improvements I’ve noticed is that the programme helped me to develop people in my team. Even if I was to move to another company in a few years, my ability to develop other people will be easier because I am more confident in my own abilities. From a career perspective, I see myself doing this role for a while as it is at a level I enjoy but I hope the apprenticeship will let me broaden and diversify who I can manage and deal with specialists on projects. The programme has made me realise that as a manager I don’t need to know all the details and have all the skills, but I need to be able to coordinate and structure projects to help others fulfil their roles. Having the qualification will be good for my future career; it is something I will have attained and symbolises progress.
Was your manager supportive?
He is absolutely amazing and has been very supportive particularly in allowing me opportunities to apply the learning. He has invited me to facilitate meetings, so I continually develop through his feedback. The support I receive from my manager has helped me to continually learn and develop.
How did you manage the 20% off the job training aspect of your apprenticeship?
Prior to lockdown my manager arranged for me to have a flexible study day every Friday but because we were still fully functional during lockdown and training demand increased, I asked for an extension on my assignments but I’m still learning and applying that new learning every single day. My manager was extremely flexible with this to help me get back on track when I was ready.
How did you find the Reed Learning start up process generally?
I was on a public programme with other apprentices and the induction had actually already happened when I joined but Reed Learning arranged one over Zoom for a few of us who were late starters. Even online it was really informative and at the right pace.
What are your views on the online materials and tracking your progress?
I found OneFile really easy to use and the VLE very helpful. It has more materials for some modules than others but now I knew where to look and I’m now a lot more self-sufficient in terms of research. The 1:1s with my adviser really helped too, she provided me with further insight on where I could get resources for my research
Do you network with any of the other apprentices?
We get on very well during our workshops and webinars, but I’ve been really busy at work recently and haven’t made enough time to talk to other apprentices outside of the sessions we had, but building a stronger network is definitely something I’d like to do, and the programme will help me achieve this.
