National Apprenticeship Week 4-8 March: Blaze a trail

From apprentice to sorcerer: two former apprentices who have made it to the top

University debt currently stands at record high levels, and it’s partly for this reason that UCAS revealed a 0.7% decrease of UK students putting forward applications to meet this year’s deadline in January. In total, some 39% of 18 year olds in England apply to go on to higher education.

So what of everyone else? It’s been well documented that apprenticeship starts have largely fallen since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2017. The 24% fall during the 2017/18 academic year doesn’t look pretty, even though in some sectors there have been many positive notes such as the 12% rise in accounting apprenticeships – with some large employers increasing their apprenticeship intake at the expense of the number of graduates they bring in.

But is an apprenticeship simply a route into an entry-level job? Do apprentices have as much potential as those who come through the graduate route to rise to senior levels? How much potential does an apprentice have to make it all the way to the very top – or even to take all the skills they have learnt and apply it in their very own business?

Here’s two inspiring stories from former apprentices who have managed exactly that.

Laura Whyte: foundation apprentice to company director

Laura Whyte is only 32 now but is an award-winning accountancy firm director. Back in 2005, she was starting out as an apprentice studying for her Foundation qualification, having come straight out of school.

“I knew I wanted a career in accounting,” says Laura. “While taking my A-Levels, I applied to do a university degree in Accounting and Finance.”

However, Laura was then offered a position as an apprentice in a large firm that was local to her.

“I decided to take the job instead, as I liked the fact that I could work and learn at the same time. It was definitely the right choice for me.”

Three years on, Laura had completed her Professional Diploma in Accountancy, making her a fully qualified accountant. As a result, she was able to take a position as Accounts Assistant at a construction firm.

“Having three years of work experience under my belt was definitely a help when I started looking for a full job,” adds Laura.

“I’m not so sure there would have been as many opportunities available, had I come straight from university.”

Five years later, Laura was Finance Director at the firm – and her rise to the top hadn’t stopped there.

I felt I had got as far as I could within the business. There just wasn’t the opportunity to progress any further, so I decided instead to set up my own accountancy practice with a schoolfriend.

Whyfield was born in 2014. The finance company now employs 12 members of staff – including four apprentices – and has 700 clients.
Even now, Laura is still aiming higher.

The first couple of years of running the business were really busy, but now I have found time to start on qualifications towards chartered accountancy. I only have a couple of exams left to do.

Whyfield itself expanded by more than 50% during 2018 alone. But it’s not business profit that motivates Laura.

The best part, for me, is seeing staff come on. Our first ever employee, who was also an apprentice, is now a manager training two apprentices of her own. It is great seeing progress like that

And this National Apprenticeship Week, Laura believes there’s no reason why apprentices of today can’t follow a similar upward career path.
“It’s definitely a worthwhile route to take for beginning your career,” Laura adds.

You are presented with the opportunity to gain a formal qualification which is transferable into different sectors – and potentially countries! – whilst working alongside experienced professionals who can guide and teach you. At the end of the course you are both qualified and experienced, which from an employer’s point of view is a win-win.

Ben Rendle: how I became Financial Controller for my local Football League club

Ben Rendle left school earlier than Laura, dropping out of his A-Level courses at 17 having felt that he took the wrong subjects.

He started in a junior accounts position instead, while beginning studying for his AAT qualifications.

“An accountancy apprenticeship seemed the most logical choice to me,” says Ben, from Plymouth, whose father was also an accountant.

I spent four days a week in work, and one day in college at that time. My career developed rapidly. In just two and a half years, I had been promoted to a general accounts clerk, and then to assistant management accountant.

Six months later, having completed his apprenticeship, Ben left to become a dealership accountant after being headhunted by a firm later acquired by Pendragon.

Despite Ben’s early success, his career took a knock when Pendragon made him redundant after the financial crisis took hold in 2008.

“I was unemployed for nine months, despite receiving offers to relocate away from Plymouth,” adds Ben.

“But then, a temporary assignment in Plymouth Argyle FC’s finance department came up. It was scheduled to last for two weeks.”

A decade on, Ben has remained at the club, holding the position of Plymouth Argyle’s Financial Controller.

And, like Laura, his thirst to gain more financial knowledge has never waned, going on to gain chartered accountant status through CIMA.

“I restarted my studies in 2015, completing the management and strategic levels in 13 months while also helping my wife look after our newborn and 8 year old daughter,” Ben says.

Studying, working and raising a young family involved a lot of juggling. I basically spent an hour every lunchtime studying and two hours in the evening, every week.

Ben is now Chair of CIMA’s Devon and Cornwall branch. He is keen to inspire others in accounting, giving talks to AAT students as to how to progress their careers further once they have completed their AAT qualifications, while helping develop Level 7 apprenticeships with CIMA.

“I’m a huge advocate for apprenticeships,” he says, “and I’ve had members of my team going through the scheme.

There’s more paperwork and more emphasis on key skills then when I did my apprenticeship. It could be seen as more arduous, but it’s worth it – and you escape from student debt as well.

Going from apprentice to financial controller of a multi-million pound business would be more than enough for some people. But Ben has recently launched his own accounting and business services company, BR Accounting & Business Services, and his future ambitions remain strong.

“I’d like to go on to become a Chief Financial Officer,” he adds.

“It’s the next logical step for me. I enjoy the strategic element of my current role and this is something I hope to expand on in future years.”

Find out more about AAT's qualifications for apprentices at aat.org.uk/apprenticeships