Speaking about my apprenticeship at the CyNam 22.1 event

Speaking about my apprenticeship at the CyNam 22.1 event

CyNam kindly invited me to participate in their 22.1 event for networking, innovation and collaboration for the cyber technology industry which took place on Thursday 10th March 2022. Following on from my inclusion in the National Apprenticeship Week inspiring apprentice line up, I was offered a place on the Student Showcase panel. Within this Apprentice Hoots blog, I wanted to tell you all about my takeaways from the CyNam 22.1 event:

Preparing for the CyNam 22.1 event 

CyNam is a business which provides the capability, communication and culture to help small companies to grow within the local Cheltenham cyber community. They provide a platform that connects cyber technology minds and local SMEs and start-ups to support from people, expertise, guidance, funding and new business. 

Eleanor Hardman, the events lead from CyNam presented the two questions we were going to be asked at the Student Showcase. The two questions were:

  • Q1: Why did I choose to do an apprenticeship?
  • Q2: Why do I think apprenticeships are vital for companies and the ecosystem?

With being so lucky to have found an apprenticeship with such a great company these were easy questions to answer. My colleague and I worked together to create a script so I could prepare effectively for the event and provide clear, valuable answers. Read through my answers below:

Q1: Why did I choose to do an apprenticeship? 

My Answer: I chose an apprenticeship as I wanted to develop my knowledge and skill set for a new career opportunity and began a Business A-Level Course. I soon realised this was going to be a lengthy process of 2 years of study and that’s not including the real world experience I would likely need on top of that. This is when I started looking into an apprenticeship instead as an apprenticeship allows you to gain valuable on the job learning all while earning too. On top of that, within Coacto it didn’t matter that I was a ‘beginner’ as there were plenty of learning opportunities to take advantage of. During my apprenticeship with Coacto, I have been able to develop my knowledge and experience massively in such a short space of time as I have had an excellent balance of hands-on experience working on customer projects as well as having dedicated time aside to study too. Being an apprentice allows me to learn at the pace I want and I feel that all jobs should be like apprenticeships where not only do you work, but you also get a day to learn too – even if that is just 1-3 hours a week as I believe you can bring more valuable knowledge and learning to the table.

Q2: Why do I think apprenticeships are vital for companies and the ecosystem? 

My answer: I think apprenticeships are vital for companies because they enable new talent to gain access to industries they may not have been able to enter otherwise. It also provides companies with a mix of enthusiastic mindsets and new ideas that allow the ecosystem to grow. 

With my heart set on what I wanted to say, I began to practice and rehearse ready for the Student Showcase feature of the CyNam 22.1 event.

Meeting the other apprentices

When arriving at the event, I was welcomed by Eleanor and was introduced to the other apprentices who were also recognised as part of National Apprenticeship Week. It was lovely to meet lots of other enthusiastic and genuine apprentices who are all on similar journeys to myself. We all had very different stories but what brought us to complete an apprenticeship all seemed to be very similar. Our preferred learning style was the kinesthetic way of getting on and doing practical things, as opposed to the way we have all been told we need to learn by listening and reading. We all had interests within the technology and business industry and were lucky to be presented with an opportunity where we could get that hands-on experience and all seemed to be excelling at this way of learning.

Attending the event and listening to the other talks

One thing that remained prominent throughout the talks was how important ecosystems are. There were talks from people with friends in Ukraine where they spoke to us about how despite what is going on over there at the moment, the tech communities within the country still wanted to be a part of the wider global tech community particularly as in times of crisis these ecosystems can really make a difference. There was a nice message of wholeness and working together as a team within the ecosystem. There were talks about the importance of partnerships and working with and investing in startups too and it was interesting to hear how this was the lifeblood of one particular larger company and yet the start up companies still very much kept their identity and were very happy with the level of engagement from the larger company. The presence of being united was so strong within the room and it was lovely to be in part of such a genuine, kind and caring ecosystem.

Taking part in the Student Showcase

Finally, at the end of the talks, it was now time for the Student Showcase. I was very nervous but managed to deliver my pre-structured answers and the other apprentices did great too. There were excellent discussions around our journeys and how we ended up on an apprenticeship, as well as some beautiful messages around diversity and why we should bring in apprentices from all different postcodes, cultures, backgrounds and genders to give everyone a chance to do great things.

After party!

Finally to finish off the event perfectly, there was an after show with jazz entertainment and we were kindly treated by the CyNam team to drinks, canapes and lots of great networking. Everyone was so lovely, friendly, complementary and engaging – despite being an apprentice, they all made me feel just as important as them.

With everyone mentioning how “the apprentices stole the show” hopefully more people will understand that you don’t have to go to university to be great at what you do and also realise the importance of introducing apprenticeships to your company for those who do learn in a kinesthetic way, otherwise you could miss out on some really excellent talent entering your company and the ecosystem just because they don’t have a degree. 

I look forward to the next CyNam event and meeting many other inspiring people in the future like those at the CyNam event.

Charlotte

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