Many children and young people are considering their options when they leave school. Whether it’s staying on into further education to study A Levels, T Levels or an NVQ, securing an Apprenticeship or a job, there’s lots of help and support available.
We’re profiling a range of job roles and opportunities to help inspire young people and we’ve spoken to a Policy and Performance Apprentice at Knowsley Council, Tristan Walker, to find out why he chose to enrol on an Apprentice programme.
Tristan, who lives in Knowsley, left secondary school with 11 GSCEs (Grades A to C) and went on to study A Levels in Physical Education, History at Biology.
Tristan joined Knowsley Council as an Apprentice working in the Policy and Performance team in October 2022.
Tristan said “I applied for an Apprenticeship as I had very little business experience and thought an Apprenticeship would be a great opportunity to gain valuable experience while also furthering my learning in a new area.
“The opportunity to learn as well as working and gaining skills and experience was something that really appealed to me and that opportunity was provided by Knowsley Council.
“As a Policy and Performance Apprentice, I work on a variety of projects across the Council, working with a range of different services and gaining a lot of experience.
“I’m being introduced to new techniques of implementing improvements and new systems, learning new ways of working and helping to document processes and changes that a variety of services require.
“I found out about this opportunity while searching online. I’d definitely recommend an Apprenticeship – the experience on offer is excellent. You can earn whilst you learn as well as gaining further qualifications.
“I’m really enjoying my experience of being an Apprentice in Knowsley Council and over the coming years, I’d like to further develop my skills and qualifications and expand on my skills and knowledge as a business analyst, managing projects and implementing changes in order to improve efficiency.
“I think that the current path that I am on is a great starting point in achieving these goals and a good stepping stone for my future career development.”
Further information about your options when leaving school can be found here.