Lydia Clark- Logistics Support

Before starting your apprenticeship, did you know what to expect/have any concerns about doing an apprenticeship?

“No, I had no concerns regarding starting an apprenticeship as I knew it was the best route to gain hands on experience whilst also gaining a qualification.”

How did the support you received at SRSCC help you in achieving your Apprenticeship?

“My tutor was able to answer any questions I had, no matter how small they were. They offered me support in my role and guided me to reaching all my targets without pushing me out of my capabilities.

Due to my age when starting my apprenticeship, I was required to have additional support calls to ensure I was settling into the role okay and I was able to manage my workload and also my exam revision. However as I progressed, it was deemed unnecessary and so I had the option to stop the calls.”

Did you experience any struggles or tough moments along the way? If so, how did you overcome them?

“I became quite stressed and overwhelmed during the build up to my EPA interviews, this was due to feeling a lack of preparation (despite many, many hours of revision) and also due to my fear of the unknown. I am the type of person who needs to know exactly what is required before walking into an exam/interview, and having never done any assessment like this, I felt very uneasy when the interview dates started creeping closer. Thankfully I was able to schedule multiple support sessions with Alison Simpson who was more than happy to talk me through each step of the process. She also checked and rechecked my work many times to confirm whether there was enough evidence present for me to achieve my desired grade.

Alison was amazing in helping me prep for my final assessments, which enabled me to achieve a distinction overall!”

How has the Apprenticeship help you grow as a person and develop your professional skills?

“Since completing my CIPS Level 3 apprenticeship, my confidence has drastically improved, and I feel more capable in taking on challenging tasks which I would not have been comfortable taking on previously.

The apprenticeship has allowed me to understand the fundamental knowledge of procurement and its role within a business. Which in turn has enabled me to have a deeper understanding in my personal impact within the company and also how my knowledge can be applied to real life tasks within the workplace.”

Have you had the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned in real-world scenarios?

“Yes, I regularly have to communicate with suppliers and other stakeholders within the business. I have a responsibility in expediting material for production, as well as ordering material on a JIT basis. I have to review demand of material and order in larger quantities to cover multiple requirements, to ensure that transport and manpower is being utilized for maximum efficiency.”

What did you enjoy most about your apprenticeship experience?

“I enjoyed the range of knowledge and skills I learnt throughout the apprenticeship for each of the modules. I also enjoyed the range of tasks I was able to partake in to meet the requirements of the course. I was very fortunate to be given such freedom in my role and regularly had the opportunity to get involved in new tasks, but because I had to collect evidence for my apprenticeship, I had a good idea of tasks I could be exposed to, to hit my targets.”

What advice would you give to someone contemplating whether to enroll onto an Apprenticeship?

“DO IT! It is the best way to gain hands on experience whilst you learn, and also apply your knowledge to real life tasks, rather than just theory-based learning.”

Lydia added, “It was an absolute pleasure meeting Anjali and Amy! Both were so lovely, and it was great to meet some of the faces behind SRSCC.”