STUDYING for an apprenticeship in the workplace has helped Kyeisha Adams rise from being an admin assistant to a team leader managing more than 150 people – and she is determined to keep developing.
The 23-year-old from Melksham joined Corsham facilities management company Mitie four years ago and when she was given a chance to attend meetings with her manager it piqued her appetite for making more of a mark in the global company.
“I was really interested in what went on and I had ambition,” she says. “My manager suggested an apprenticeship and I applied.”
Because business courses can be started with Wiltshire College & University Centre at any time she was able to begin her apprenticeship straight away – and progressed so rapidly she finished the 18-month course eight months early.
“I just wanted to get it done and use the skills that I learned,” she says. “And while I was halfway through doing it, a promotion came up for the soft skills team leader. Although I wasn’t sure whether I was ready, I got it.”
Her new role involves managing staff involved in administration, security, reprographics, cleaning catering team and waste management. She also manages an exterior contract, which involves another 150 staff.
But her thirst for learning hadn’t been quenched and she is now studying a Level 5 in Operations Management. “I like learning on the job and I like to learn new things,” she says. “Now I’m a manager one of the skills I wanted to develop was managing people because I wanted to know how to mentor people so they can do the same as me.”
She says studying in the workplace is ideal for her. “You’re getting real life experiences, you’re seeing what happens in the workplace rather in a classroom scenario, you can fit it around your job and obviously you are getting paid while you do it, which is a bonus,” she says.
“But also you make connections and build relationships, it’s not just a training programme, it’s a career. And the options are endless. You get an appreciation of the whole business and get a chance to find out which side of it you like. It’s your journey and you get a career out of it. I think that’s the big thing.”
The college’s Business Relationship Managers work closely with employers to advise on setting up apprenticeships and guiding them through the process. Kyeisha has another five apprentices in her team following in her footsteps, with more in the pipeline.
One is 19-year-old Ruby Beaven, a former T Level student at the college’s Chippenham campus who did her work placement at Mitie. Now she is a full-time member of staff and studying the same Level 3 in Facilities Management that kick-started Kyeisha’s career.
“I really enjoy it here, I like being in the business world,” says Ruby, also from Melksham. “I like the people and the busyness of the company, there’s always something to do. I am career driven and want to help the business and learn more about every element of it and doing an apprenticeship really helps with that.”
She says that being part of a young team spurs her to develop her skills to stay apace with her colleagues, which has done wonders for her self-confidence. “It definitely drives me to do better because I am the youngest on the whole site,” she says.
“Before I was always quite nervous but since I started everyone has told me I’ve come out of my shell so much. It’s because I’ve found something that I really enjoy, it’s definitely helped me gain the confidence that I didn’t know I had.”
Kyeisha holds regular meetings with the five apprentices, supported by the college. “The apprentices are all pushing each other to improve and get better so I meet with them to share where I am on my apprenticeship,” she says.
“We’ll go through their work and there are always things I can help with. Then the apprentices themselves will share ideas, it’s very collaborative.”
Ruby also chairs a staff forum, which discusses workplace issues and comes up with solutions. Kyeisha says: “It’s brilliant because they’ll share ideas and Ruby will go back to the senior management and tell them, and often we’ll put those ideas into place.”
Kyeisha believes developing staff in the workplace not only has a positive effect on the staff, it keeps them with the company longer. “Our staff retention rate is great,” she says. “Because when I think when you feel your managers believe in you and you are recognised for things – and get praise when you progress – you feel appreciated.”
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