How to turn your apprenticeship into a full-time job

It’s one thing to be accepted on to an apprenticeship scheme and another to ensure that it is successful. Having the right attitude when starting an apprenticeship is incredibly important.

Here are some essential pointers which make up the backbone of a great apprenticeship and, if you bear them in mind, will hopefully land you a job when you finish!

Ooze professionalism. Invest in smart clothing so you look the business; chances are you will find yourself being taken more seriously. As an apprentice you are likely to be younger than the rest of the staff, so show them how mature you are by dressing to impress.

Have a dazzling attitude. Believe that no task is below you, or above you. If you are asked to do some photocopying, get on with it. If you are asked to do something you are unsure of, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Get help from your line manager and remember how to do it in the future.

Have good communications with colleagues and a great working relationship with your line manager and/or mentor. In the first week especially, make an effort to introduce yourself and learn people’s names. Get to know staff from different areas of the business to see what type of roles could be on offer after the apprenticeship is over.

Get stuck in from the word go. Don’t fade into the background. If you feel like you aren’t being given enough to do, bring this up with your line manager and ask for more responsibility.

Demonstrate a thirst for knowledge and eagerness to learn. When you are taught a new skill, make notes. This will give you something to refer to if asked to do something by yourself.

Go the extra mile. Whether this means offering to help out others, or staying an extra fifteen minutes at the end of the day, you can prove to your boss that you are an asset to the company and that you are taking the role seriously.

Arrange regular meetings with your mentor to ask for feedback and make sure you are doing what is expected of you.

Take your apprenticeship seriously and think of it as a stepping stone into a solid career. You will impress your employer, making it more likely they will create a position for you within the company when your training period finishes.

Ben Rowland, apprentice employer and co-founder of training provider Arch, said: “In our experience there are three things an apprentice can do to ensure their apprenticeship successfully moves into a permanent job.  First, they should aim to impress everyone they come into contact with during their apprenticeship, not just their line manager and immediate colleagues.  Secondly, they should use their apprenticeship to work out what they want their next job to be in the company.  And third, they should talk to as many people in the firm as possible to get their advice on their career path in that firm – which will also impress colleagues!”