We’re delighted to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2024 by shining a spotlight on our brilliant Finance Apprentice, Aminah Mahmood. #NAW2024

We did a Q&A with Aminah to find out more about her apprenticeship and get her feedback on what it’s like to be an apprentice at Witton Lodge Community Association!

Tell us more about your Apprenticeship.

I’m doing an Assistant Accountant Level 3 Apprenticeship at South and City College which is located in Digbeth, Birmingham. The course is 18 months long and I am set to complete it in Summer of this year.

My work/college is split so that I study one day at college and work four days as a Finance Apprentice at Witton Lodge Community Association (WLCA) in Perry Common.

This provides a good balance for me to have study time set aside once a week and learn valuable skills during my working days at WLCA. I will continue my role at Witton Lodge after my apprenticeship finishes in a few months.

What can you tell us about your job role?

Working as a Finance Apprentice I support the finance team with day-to-day finance activities such as data entry, bank reconciliation, petty cash and ensuring all of our four hubs have sufficient funds to access.

My role has evolved since I first started, and I am always happy to learn new skills and understand new tasks within the finance department.

When you finish your Level 3, what next?

Once I have passed my Level 3, I plan to immediately start my Level 4 Apprenticeship and use it to build my role at WLCA. I would like to consider moving into forensic accounts further into my career, but I am very happy working at Witton Lodge Community Association and for the foreseeable future.

What advice would you give to someone considering an apprenticeship?

• Getting paid to learn and gaining experience is a great combination for me
• I’ve found it a big confidence booster
• Provides a good idea of what the working world is like and opens you to new people
• It can be overwhelming when you first start but just remember all apprentices are in the same position and you will get into the flow of your role and your colleagues will help support you where needed.
• Great way to see if it fits the individual, studying a subject and actually putting it into action are totally different things and an apprenticeship gives you that option to try
• It can be draining stepping into a business environment and continuing studying so be prepared for that.
• It puts you on a very different schedule to your friends who are studying fulltime at college. There is a responsibility of commitment to your employer with an apprenticeship that can’t be underestimated.

What have you learnt from your job at WLCA?

My biggest takeaway is being positive and persevering in my role. There can be a lot of pressure when studying and working to deadlines, but if you are a hard worker and interested in your chosen subject that will motivate you to continue to do better.

Witton Lodge Community Association is a very welcoming place to work. Many people say it’s like we are a big family here and it genuinely feels like that. I can talk confidentially to the team and get advice and support when needed.

Lastly, have you got any advice for anyone considering an apprenticeship?

There’s a lot to studying and learning in the workplace so stay focussed and motivated and you’ll succeed. Another point is to be positive and understand that things might not always go how you want – it’s a big learning curve so don’t take things as failures, take them as a lesson to move forward and improve.

Thanks to Aminah for sharing her apprenticeship journey with us. If you are interested in doing an apprenticeship at South and City College, visit their #apprenticeship page.