Reece’s Apprenticeship Journey: Gaining Hands-On Experience in IT & Telecoms

Apprenticeships provide an incredible opportunity for young professionals to gain hands-on experience while developing valuable skills in their chosen industry. Today, we’re catching up with Reece, a Technical Support Apprentice at Direct Voice and Data, to learn more about his journey so far. He shares what inspired him to choose an apprenticeship, how he found his role, and his experience working in the IT and telecoms sector.

Let’s hear from Reece!

Hi Reece, can you start by telling us a bit about yourself, your role, and the apprenticeship you’re currently completing?

I’m Reece, I’m 19.  and I work as a Technical support apprentice at Direct Voice and Data in Huddersfield. My job role consists of providing IT and Telecoms support for our wide range of customers from around the country. To support their systems and therefore provide them with a seamless and dynamic IT infrastructure that works for them, I need to be able to assist our customers with any issues/ queries and support requests that they may have.  

A part of my job role is also being able to prioritise tickets, so that I am able to manage my own time, as well as my teams time. This is important also, as we need to evaluate tickets to ensure that they’re prioritised correctly depending on how critical the customers issue is as it will determine how quickly we action the issue(s) reported.  

What inspired you to choose the apprenticeship route over other options, like university or work?

I chose the apprenticeship route over more traditional options such as going to university as I wanted to have experience in the workplace. I also wanted to do something different than what I have already done, this being school and college  - I felt ready for a change, and so going for an apprenticeship where I could gain hands on experience working with colleagues and customers was the right option for me.  

How did you find the apprenticeship opportunity?

I found my apprenticeship by signing up to mailing lists on job sites – in this case I was notified by Indeed about this opportunity. I made sure that I had an up to date CV which included everything relevant about myself which was also relevant about the role I was applying for. I was then contacted by the ITP for a telephone interview to discuss why I had applied for the role and whether it was suitable for me. During this interview, we discussed when a good time and date for me would be for a F2F interview at Direct Voice and Data. I was offered the position by the company soon after my initial interview.

Has your apprenticeship been what you expected?

On my apprenticeship so far, I have learnt more than I could have imagined in the past 4 months, whether this be learning through gaining experience or from the course materials provided by Apprentify. Overall my confidence, general skills and technical skills have improved a lot, and I look forward to learning even more in the months to come.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about applying for an apprenticeship?

If you want a change from the typical educational environment, I would definitely apply and take the opportunity should it present itself. At first starting a new role can be quite daunting, however the ITP and Apprentify are there to support you in any way, as well as the team of colleagues around you in your organisation.  I wouldn’t ever hesitate to apply for an apprenticeship, as it can open so many opportunities for career progression in the future, as you will be both experienced and qualified in your chosen field of work.

Where do you see yourself after completing your apprenticeship? What are your career aspirations?

My career aspirations are to progress in my field and company further. I can see a lot of provisional career opportunities that could present themselves to me as a result of being an apprentice, as I will have experience working in general, and experience working In my chosen industry.

Can you share your experience with the ITP? How did you find the process, from application to support?

From the beginning, ITP have been very supportive of me, from initial contact, going through the interview stages, to induction and beyond. ITP clearly care for their apprentices and aspire for them to succeed.

Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Reece! We’re excited to see your growth throughout your apprenticeship and beyond.