Nineteen-year-old Jodie Brady is already on the management career ladder thanks to the firm foundations secured during her Business Administration apprenticeship.
Jodie started an A-Levels study programme after leaving John Port Spencer Academy in Etwall but soon decided that the academic route was not for her and started applying for apprenticeships.
She was offered a position at Oberoi Business Hub in Pride Park which provides a range of back office services such as call handling, virtual PA, virtual office addresses, co-working space and meeting rooms and serviced offices to a wide range of businesses.
Through the apprenticeship with Derby College Group (DCG), she was able to combine her theoretical work with practical experience gained at Oberoi Business Hub and excelled in her customer-facing roles.
Supported by her DCG Business Administration assessor and managers at Oberoi, Jodie completed both level two and three qualifications in just over two years.
She is now one of the team leaders for the call handing assistants and combines this role with client account management – working with a growing portfolio of business clients who benefit from serviced offices, call answering and virtual offices services.
Jodie explained: “I was not enjoying A levels – largely because I get extremely stressed out by exams – but I loved my Business course so was keen to pursue that route.
“I applied to Oberoi Business Hub and was over the moon when I was offered the chance of an apprenticeship.
“At school, I thought that business administration work meant filing and making the tea – but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
“I started work on the call answering team which I loved and then moved onto the conference and event side of the business. I am now a team leader and client account manager, I love the challenge of no two days being the same.”
“I also manage a lot of the office functions such as health and safety so the job role is very varied which I really enjoy.”
Jodie says that she would recommend the apprenticeship route.
“Young people are constantly reminded that they need work experience to get a job, but employers recognise that apprentices don’t initially have that level of experience – so there is far less pressure when applying for jobs.
“I was fortunate to have an employer who supported me to work in the business and contribute to the team from the start.
“I could feel myself growing in confidence as I gained more experience and I learnt so much about business models which will hold me in good stead for the future.
“I have gained A-Level equivalent qualifications at the same time as my friends finished their exams but I have the work experience to be able to move on with my career rather than starting from scratch.
“You get out what you put in and it is hard work but I got so much support from both the team at Oberoi and my assessor at Derby College that I never felt overwhelmed.