Business Administration Apprentice

Rachel King

Admin Apprentice (Recruitment Department)

I decided to join the Trust as an Admin Apprentice after I'd come to realise, whilst applying for Admin roles, that employers wanted their applicants to already have an Admin background or previous experience, which I did not have. I did not know how to go about obtaining this required experience until I looked into this Apprenticeship opportunity, and realised it was a way to get that experience through training within work. 'd also felt that I would like to work within the hospital environment and with the Trust, as there are more opportunities and support given in general for personal development, than perhaps would be offered elsewhere.

What you were doing before you joined the Trust ?

I have come into this Admin Apprenticeship having previously worked in Retail. The only office experience I'd had prior to this role was a 2 week school work experience placement with City of York Council, which I enjoyed, and kept in my mind that office work was what I wanted to do long term. Although my work in the Retail sector differed quite a bit from my current role, I do feel there are aspects that I have carried over to this role, such as dealing with peoples queries in person and by phone.

What does your work as an apprentice entail?

My work as an Admin Apprentice in Recruitment consists of managing a portion of the workload within the Recruitment Admin Team. There are a wide range of tasks that we all undertake within the Team, to name but a few:

Management of post and stationary stocks
Answering phone/email queries from candidates and departments
Setting up HR local induction training for new starters
Managing the advertising, closing and shortlisting of vacancies for departments using the NHS Jobs website
Processing CRB forms/disclosures and consultant requests for Study Leave
Requesting and chasing of candidate references
Providing recruitment advice for candidates via the Career's Centre
Preparation of ,and support for, recruitment Open Day events

I also have regular assessments with my NVQ assessor, to make sure I can evidence my work to her and fulfil the criteria needed to complete the NVQ side of this Apprenticeship.

What you have enjoyed most about the apprenticeship?

The main thing I have enjoyed most about this Apprenticeship is the variety of tasks and placements I have had the opportunity to experience, that I otherwise would not have been able to. I have very much enjoyed being able to learn about other departments, how they all fit together as a structure within the hospital, and what their individual functions and services are. I have also been given continued support throughout this Apprenticeship whenever I've needed it, which has been very helpful in order to learn my role and prepare for a career involving Admin.