In February every year, National Apprenticeship Week recognises and celebrates the achievements and successes of apprentices, and the incredible opportunities an apprenticeship can offer. As well as being able to learn while you earn, an apprenticeship allows you to learn new skills and carve out a successful and rewarding career. This is what Sophie discovered when she took up the role as a HR apprentice at Helen & Douglas House over 6 years ago.
To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week this year, we had a chat with Sophie and asked her more about her role and the positive impact it’s had on her future career.
What inspired you to pursue a career in Human Resources and what drew you to Helen & Douglas House for your apprenticeships?
I wasn’t sure what to do for a career when I left college, so I decided to take a year out instead of going to university to work and travel. I had always been aware of Helen & Douglas House when I was younger through fundraisers my school would run. When I was doing my A-Levels, I visited the hospice on a 3-day work experience placement as i was thinking of pursuing a career in nursing. This was a fantastic opportunity for me to experience the hospice and meet all the lovely staff working here, and really see what working at Helen & Douglas House was like. I decided to look for an apprenticeship in my gap year and figured I’d give HR a go as I always liked bring organised and an admin role felt like a good fit for me. When I saw Helen & Douglas House were hiring for a HR apprentice, I just knew this was the role for me. I applied immediately and was fortunate to be interviewed and get the role! I always remember laughing with the team in my interview and feeling at home here. An I’ve never looked back since.
What were the two apprenticeships you completed at Helen & Douglas House?
The first apprenticeship I completed was my Level 3 HR CIPD apprenticeship. This gave me a great introduction into the world of HR and helped me develop my skills. In my role as HR apprentice, I was responsible for all the front line administration tasks and recruitment processing, so I would be processing pre-employment checks for new starters, organising interviews and answering the phone/emails for the team. Once I had qualified I was able to stay at Helen & Douglas House as a HR administrator, where I was able to get involved in more advanced HR work and support our new HR apprentices as they joined to complete the same course I had with us.
After 2 years an a HR administrator, I was successful in achieving the role of HR advisor, and then I started my level 5 HR CIPD Apprenticeship to support me in developing further. As a HR advisor and completing the apprenticeship, I was able to get involved in casework, supporting managers with informal sickness processes, payroll and data analysis. It’s been really lovely looking back at where I started and how much my skills and workload has changed over time as I’ve become more experienced.
What are the most valuable skills and lessons you’ve learned during your apprenticeships at Helen & Douglas House?
One of the most valuable skills I’ve gained is public speaking. I was quite shy at school and so the thought of public speaking would always fill me with dread. Through working here and my apprenticeships, I’ve been encouraged and supported to deliver training sessions to line managers, talk about HR to new starters at their inductions, and present to our CEO/Executive teamabout HR data and other topics. Thinking back to 2018, I would never have had the confidence to do these things, but now I’m a lot more comfortable speaking up and this is a hugely valuable skill I’ll take with me in the future.
Being shortlisted for the CIPD People Management Awards for Outstanding HR or Learning and Development Apprentice 2024 is a significant achievement. How did you feel when you found out, and what does this recognition mean to you?
I was shocked when I saw the news I’d been shortlisted, I couldn’t believe it! I feel so proud to be representing Helen & Douglas House at the awards. I was the organisations first ever apprentice when I joined back in 2018, and since then we’ve had so many apprentices coming through in other areas of the hospice and more in our own HR team too. I’m always so proud to be flying the flag for apprentices, and to work for an organisation that really sees the value of apprentices in the workplace.
“The organisation gave me the flexibility I needed to complete my assignments and ensured I didn’t feel overloaded with work and coursework at the same time”
How have Helen & Douglas House supported you during your apprenticeships?
Helen & Douglas House’s support has been incredible. I have the best HR team around me who have supported me through so much over the years, both professionally and personally. The organisation gave me the flexibility I needed to complete my assignments and ensured I didn’t feel overloaded with work and coursework at the same time. They also trusted me to get on with work and take on projects, even when relatively new to HR. I didn’t feel micromanaged or over monitored – having my own workload so quickly made me feel like a really trusted and valued part of the team. I’m so grateful to everyone for their encouragement, pep talks and proof reading!
How do you see your experience at Helen & Douglas House shaping your future career in HR? Are there any specific areas that you are particularly passionate about?
Helen & Douglas House has given me an incredible opportunity to develop over the last 6 years, from being brand new to HR, to a HR advisor role. Being a small team, I’m exposed to so much learning every day and my team are so supportive of me being involved in areas to develop my skills further. I hope to stay longer and keep learning! In the future I would like to delve further into HR Analytics, I’ve discovered a passion for HR data through my Level 5 apprenticeship which is also a part of my role now. My manager is incredibly supportive of me wanting to develop in this area and even agreed for me to go to a People Analytics conference last year to network with others in this field.
Can you talk about some initiatives you’ve worked on to make Helen & Douglas House an even more caring organisation, such as the new bereavement policy you helped develop?
The new bereavement policy was the biggest iniative I’ve worked on here towards making Helen & Douglas House a more caring organisation. This was part of my Level 5 CIPD apprenticeship end point assessment project. I researched what best practice was for supporting those through grief at work, benchmarked our leave against other prganisations, and wrote a business case to increase our leave offering to 2 weeks for an immediate family member. I’m very proud of how I worked on this policy – it’s not a policy that will change the world, but it will for those few staff members who need it, and that’s what matters most to me.
“Helen & Douglas House has given me an incredible opportunity to develop…I’m exposed to so much learning everyday and my team are so supportive”
What advice would you give to others considering an apprenticeship in HR, especially those who are just starting out in their careers?
I would say go for it! Apprenticeships are a fantastic way to kick start a career, giving you the opportunity to put your learning into practice at work. I think sometimes there’s a stigma that all apprentices are 18 years old and fresh out of school, but you can do an apprenticeship at any age, and more than 1!
Inspired by Sophie's story?
Find out more about potential apprenticeship and recruitment opportunities by emailing our Recruitment Team