National Apprenticeship Week: Laura Dodsworth’s story

I started my Ongo apprenticeship in 2014, and did six months in tenancy support and six months in customer service. After a couple of months into the customer service half of the apprenticeship I secured a permanent role as Customer Service Assistant. After around a year in that position I was successful in getting a permanent Customer Service Advisor job.

I am now on a 12 month secondment in the maintenance team as a Works Planner- this is something very different to what I’ve been used to so far at Ongo and I am really enjoying it.

Starting as an apprentice helped me gain the knowledge, experience and confidence to move up in my career. It was a great starting point for me and got me used to working life and being part of a team. I learnt a lot about the company itself, dealing with customers and liaising with other teams during my apprenticeship and I feel like that helped me through my applications and interviews for the permanent jobs I have applied for since starting in 2014.

I would always recommend that people consider applying for an apprenticeship, they’re a great starting point for people who are wanting to get straight into work. I feel like there is a lot of pressure to go to college or university when you finish school, but apprenticeships are still a great form of learning. For example, when I started my apprenticeship I was able to do an NVQ and get a level 2 housing qualification at the same time as working full time and earning my own wage.