Apprentice to Professional
Sunny Fox - HR Adviser
The decision to continue with education or taking your first
steps into your career when leaving school is a difficult one. I decided to
give college a chance but soon realised that it wasn't really for me. I came
across the option of an apprenticeship with Devon County Council in Business
Administration and though I would give it a go. I attended the assessment
centre and was interviewed and offered a position with Support Service for
Environment, Economy and Culture. Although I had a general idea about the role
I was due to start, I didn't really know anything about Devon County Council,
the services it provided nor the political set up of such organisation.
From the beginning, my apprenticeship involved working
across the general admin support team, Human Resources (HR) Admin and the
training team. My weeks were split and I worked across all three teams which
helped me gain a lot of experience and the chance to work with a lot of
different people.
Within my second year of the apprenticeship programme the
opportunity to apply for a permanent role within the HR Admin team came
available and I applied. I was successful and continued to complete my
qualification whilst working in this permanent role. The grade was 3 levels
higher than an apprentice but I felt like a very comfortable jump for me.
During my 3rd year of employment, DCC funded me to complete
my Certificate in Personnel Practice which I did in London. Not long after
this, an opportunity to apply for an Assistant HR Adviser role became available.
I was successful and in this role, DCC funded a 2-year CIPD course (Certificate
in HR Management). Having this qualification meant I was eligible to apply for
Chartered Membership with CIPD (HR's professional body). During this time, I
applied for a promotional role as an HR Advisor and was successful in securing
the role in HR Operations. I continued with my studies alongside my full-time
role and self-funded the Masters (1 year) course in HR Management. I applied
for a scholarship with the university so I ended up paying approx... £2000 for
the final year, so I haven't ended up with £1000s of debt. DCC supported me
during the year that I completed the masters by allowing me to work flexibly
and giving me adequate time to study.
I have been with Devon County Council for 10 years now and
every year I have either had the opportunity to study alongside my role or I
have secured a promotion. I believe that I have taken every opportunity I can
to gain as much experience as possible. I wouldn't be where I am today without
the support of DCC and would highly recommend an apprenticeship to anyone that
is struggling to know where to take their career. I feel very lucky that
I 'stumbled' across a role I love!
Sunny Fox
HR Adviser
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