The Apprentice .. in Sussex: Meet our brilliant candidate from Crawley-based Thales

The candidates on the popular BBC show take part in tasks each week with the ultimate goal of getting an investment for their business plan from Lord Sugar. But is this really what a real-life apprentice goes through each week?

In a new series on SussexWorld.co.uk, we meet apprentices across Sussex to explain what they do and what being an apprentice in the real world is like.

In our first interview, we spoke to Maisie Howes from Thales.

Name: Maisie Howes | Age: 22 | Employer: Thales, Manor Royal | Role: Content & Media Architect

When did you start your apprenticeship? I started my apprenticeship at Thales in April 2020, right at the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown. Due to isolation procedures, I completed most of my first year remotely; learning the role from my bedroom. Why did you choose Thales' apprenticeship scheme and what makes their programme so good?: I chose an apprenticeship with Thales, over other options, as they provided more incentives and had a passion to develop those wanting an apprenticeship. Some employers offered an extremely low salary, which to me, communicated that their apprentices were not that valuable to them. Whereas Thales made it clear to me in their job openings that they have a dedication to developing their employees. It was refreshing to see a company that understood that although apprentices have to study, they are ultimately working employees; they recognise that we will have a positive impact to the business within a matter of months. Since joining, I have experienced nothing but support from my colleagues and they have played a huge part in helping me achieve my current position.

How would you define what an apprentice is? Based on my experiences, an apprentice is someone, of any age over 16, who is enabled to learn their trade in a real working environment before entering a full time position. My Apprenticeship included one external study day a week, so 20% of my time was ‘theory’ and the rest of the time I was working for Thales completing business projects. During my ‘working hours’, I was mentored by knowledge experts and I shadowed their work until I was comfortable with Thales’ ways of working.

Obviously, we have The Apprentice on TV at the moment, being an actual apprentice is nothing like that is it? No it isn’t, well, they would both look great on your CV, but being a real apprentice isn’t like being on the TV programme. You should expect to see some variety in projects assigned to you by your manager or apprenticeship provider; this will give you experience and further understanding about the industry you are in, but there won’t be any crossing and changing of industries like on The Apprentice. Also, everyone loves the drama within the teams on The Apprentice, I certainly do, but actually, this is the furthest from reality and disrespecting your colleagues won’t be tolerated in a healthy working environment. Instead, it would really benefit you to develop your communication and interpersonal skills for when you do collaborate on projects.

Do you think people who do not know what being an apprentice entails get the wrong idea by watching The Apprentice? I can see how some people may get confused as to whether The Apprentice is like an actual apprenticeship, especially if they haven’t been in employment before. When I used to watch the programme, I remember it helped me to identify different roles and responsibilities within a project taskforce. Like a project manager. I was able to grasp which responsibilities would sit with who and when I started my first corporate role, (the Digital Content Producer Apprenticeship) I realised that this aspect of the programme was realistic and it helped me to understand my team and their responsibilities.

What would you say to anyone interested in becoming an apprentice and why? I would suggest to start by considering where you want to be in 5 years, this is an exercise my manager taught me and I found it really helped me to think about the long term and how the actions that I could be taking now, would help me in my apprenticeship and beyond. So, imagine where you would realistically like to be in your career in 5 years, then work backwards to find out where you need to start. After some research, this will help you to know which apprenticeships are right for you and what experiences you’ll need to gather during your employment. If you need to complete a higher apprenticeship level to achieve your goals, you can ask your employer what development programmes or commitments they have so you can ensure you choose the right apprenticeship and company that will allow you to pursue the additional education and reach your full potential. Then you start to create a mini career plan to share with your manager who will help direct you.

What is the best thing about being an apprentice? The best thing about being an apprentice, especially at Thales, is the culture and support you will experience throughout. Of-course earning a wage whilst studying is another huge positive, but being surrounded by a team of industry professionals who are willing to show you how to succeed is invaluable. Most importantly, they understand that you don’t know everything, that’s what you are there to do – to learn. So there is a lot less pressure on you to ‘get it right’ so you can experiment and grow into the role as you progress through your apprenticeship.

What are your future ambitions in your career? I started as a Digital Content Producer Apprentice and since completing my apprenticeship, I have continued my employment to learn even more about the business. Thales have a great internal mobility programme, which allows employees as well as myself, to explore and delve into other roles. I have since been offered my current position, where I am using my apprenticeship skills to produce content directed at a variety of Thales needs, including both internal and external audiences, something I am hugely proud and appreciative of. I have created a variety of digital content from interactive eLearning modules for UK wide and global completion, to promotional material including banners and flyers for particular events and business changes, I love the variety of my work, one day I could be producing a video and the next I will be problem solving and evaluating the impact of our content. I have been trusted with my first time role of ‘Project Owner’ for creating our UK Talent communications strategy, so for now, I will be using my knowledge of digital content to help the team to decide where our efforts will have the most impact and what we need to do to maintain internal and external engagement throughout the year.

See also National Apprenticeship Week: Thales celebrates biggest ever intake in 2022

Karen Frimley, who is Early Careers Advisor at Thales Uk Ltd, explained what they are looking for in a candidate and what makes their programme so good. “We are looking for a candidate that shows potential, has a genuine interest in the roles we have available and is interested in growing and developing a career within Thales,” said Karen.

"We have a full range of apprenticeship roles. It doesn’t matter whether you are a school leaver or an experienced professional, our options span across many areas, which means there is something for everyone. All of our apprenticeships come with a permanent job at the end, lots of development opportunities and a competitive starting salary. We also give our apprentices the opportunity to give back by giving them 80 volunteering hours in each of their first two years. Thales operates to build a future we can all trust at which security is at the forefront."

Thales also offers various apprenticeship routes. Karen said: “We offer apprenticeship levels from level 3 through to level 6 – these are the equivalent of achieving between 5 GCSE’s and a university degree. There are a huge variety of subjects including, business, corporate functions, software, cyber and engineering.”

And Karen takes great joy in seeing success from Tahles’ apprenticeship scheme. “For me watching an apprentice through their journey from their first day through to completion of the apprenticeship is the most amazing achievement. Knowing that I have played a part in a journey that will shape their future is the best success that I could ask for.”