Max & Farhan's Apprenticeship Journey
This summer we re-started our apprentice programme, and have since brought on 5 apprentices in different departments. First on board was Max & Farhan, who have started as apprentices in our marketing department. 4 months in we sat down for a chat about their first experiences with Redsquid. Read along to find out more about what it’s like to be an apprentice at Redsquid, in Max & Farhan’s apprenticeship journey!
You’ve been here for about 4 months now, how has it been?
Farhan: The amount of information we’ve consumed and learned in a couple of months is astonishing to me. It’s been a great experience for me, especially coming into a new company where I need to learn so much to be able to perform my job efficiently. At first, it was a little daunting and overwhelming, however, the training and necessary information were delivered in a way where it was easy to consume and use effectively.
Max: To add to that, we both haven’t been in an office environment before and haven’t had that opportunity to operate in a business such as Redsquid. It’s been great to explore different aspects of Redsquid to gain a deeper understanding of how the business works behind the scenes. By sitting down with every department and talking us through their job role, we really got an insight into Redsquid and business operations as a whole. This also gave us the added benefit of getting to know everyone in the company.
What have you’ve been most surprised about?
Max: I was surprised by how friendly and welcoming everyone’s been. Coming into a new environment can be scary, however, it was the complete opposite! With people from all departments being so welcoming and helpful, whenever I was struggling there was always someone to help out.
Farhan: The people are a huge aspect of the company, so just being able to invigorate a conversation has proven to be a great asset in my daily schedule here at work. Whenever I’m stuck with work, I’m able to stick my head up and have a conversation. As a result of this, I’m able to come back to what I was working on with a fresher mind and look at it from a different perspective. Another aspect that took me by surprise was how much technological content we would be learning about.
You were lucky enough to start on the same day - how has that effected your first months?
Max: It has made a massive difference, Farhan and I have spoken about this multiple times. Coming into a business and starting new can be daunting, so having another person next to you going through the same thing is extremely helpful.
Farhan: It’s been great to have another apprentice with me, not only with just starting new in the business, but also learning all the technology content. It’s made it a lot easier to understand the technologies we provide, since we can discuss things we don’t quite understand and learn from each other.
How has the transition been from your previous part-time jobs to a full-time role in a business with 50 employees?
Farhan: The change I had from retail to Redsquid has been extreme, but also enjoyable. From my personal experience, retail was more about working by myself, there was little motivation involved while working there. However, here at Redsquid, I genuinely feel a part of a team, which makes me prouder about the work we produce.
Max: A huge difference I’ve seen is Redsquid genuinely wants to see us develop and progress. There is so many learning opportunities here with colleagues who want to help me develop in the business and industry. On top of my apprenticeship, I’m learning how to use important business tools like CRM and personal developing skills like public speaking and presenting skills.
What are you most excited to learn about?
Farhan: I would say learning about the new technologies we are providing is quite interesting to me. It’s so new to me, I’ve never really had an opportunity to learn new about technology to this extent. I’m naturally curious and eager to learn! Creative tools such as Photoshop and Illustrator are aspects that I’ve taken an interest in. I’ve always wanted to learn and here at Redsquid I’m getting the opportunity to explore everything!
Max: I agree, the product training aspect of Redsquid is very interesting to me. I think there’s so much to learn you can never learn it all at once, it takes time to process what you learned and implement it. More so in an industry such as technology, there is so much to learn and Redsquid are supporting that journey.
Now that you are a part of a technology organisation - is it what you expected technology to be?
Max: Working in a technology business has shown me a completely different side to technology than before. Before this apprenticeship, I was solely focusing on being a consumer of technology and not interested in how it was made and what it consists of. Now that we’ve had training on our technologies, we have more of an insight into what we provide.
Farhan: As consumers, we don’t think about the “back-end” of technology. At Redsquid we get a deeper understanding of technologies such as Contact Centres and Voice for Teams. We’ve had training with all the technologies we provide, so we can understand it and talk about them correctly.
Why did you choose to become an apprentice?
Farhan: Throughout college, I’ve learnt that I’m more of a hands-on learner, I excel in an environment where I’m learning while working. A couple of people in my family chose the apprenticeship route and told me it’s a great alternative to University. After doing some research on apprenticeships, I checked what qualifications I needed. I ended my college course with a good grade and then looked for a company with clear progression. After looking more into Redsquid, I thought it was exactly what I was looking for, and that it was a great opportunity for me.
Max: Coming straight from college, I thought an apprenticeship was the best route for me. You can get experience and gain practical abilities while learning, which is great for me. With the opportunity to develop in a practical setting, it almost feels I have more of a purpose and my work means something. I feel this apprenticeship will help me prepare and give us that “hands on” experience that you couldn’t get from a university.
What has been the biggest change for you since Joining Redsquid?
Max: The change in routine has been a shock to me, but I’ve adapted to it quickly. I feel so much more motivated to succeed, and in life in general. I’m motivated to get out of bed and happy to sit in traffic, which I could never imagine doing before this apprenticeship. With new tasks, opportunities, and development every day, I’m excited to see what the next day holds.
Farhan: The whole aspect of waking up and going to a 9-5 is a shock when starting your first full-time role. However, I feel it has made me more mature and excited about getting involved with the business environment.
And now you are responsible for your own tasks..
Max: When in college or an educational setting, you’re all working on this one piece of work which is usually the same. With our role here at Redsquid, we can delegate our work within our marketing team. I could be working on a certain campaign and Farhan could be working on something completely different, which is great. This allows us to create lots of good content for Redsquid and gives us a diverse work environment.
Farhan: It’s an overall confidence booster, for me to have my work, which I’ve spent time on to make sure it represents Redsquid. It’s a great feeling to have it published because it’s a product of what I’ve created.
Do you think it's important for businesses to employ apprentices?
Farhan: With my experience with college, I know how easy it is to lose motivation for what you’re doing. As a college student, you gain a lot more freedom than you previously had, which is why I think it’s important to have something like an apprenticeship scheme available to those that are interested. It’s a great option for teenagers who are ready for a career, and who wants to progress within that career.
Max: I think an apprenticeship scheme is great for the younger generation. It gives the business a fresher mindset and a different perspective. The business can also provide the necessary tools for them to succeed within the business.
What do you want to accomplish during your apprenticeship?
Max: I want to get to the point where I could say, I created ‘this’ on that social media platform, or I helped Redsquid grow by this many followers and so on. Just those little achievements which are publicly acknowledged. I want to explain my job role to my relatives and family and show evidence of what I’ve achieved.
Farhan: I would like to get to the point where certain tasks, such as blogs and infographics becomes second nature to me. I would like to be given a task and complete it with ease. That would show my progression and how much I’ve learned within the year.
What is your advice for young adults who wants to become an apprentice?
Farhan: Just go for it! You can never know if you don’t like something without trying it. I had a natural interest in Marketing, so I took interest in an apprenticeship. It’s now worked out for me, and it could work out for you too. Since most will be around 16/17 years old, they won’t have any idea what they want to do, which is completely fine. However, if you try an office environment and find out you don’t like it, you don’t need to worry. It’s better that you figure it out now rather than later.
Max: I think what most people forget is, an apprenticeship is not forever. After your Apprenticeship, you might find something else interesting or you might be able to move around within the business. Taking on an apprenticeship doesn’t mean you are stuck, it just means you’ve got the option for solid career progression within that field. However, that doesn’t limit you, depending on your business you’ll be able to explore different fields, which is always a great option to have.
Re-starting the apprentice programme have been a great experience for both our organisation and the apprentices. As the workforce of the future, we want to take part in developing that talent, and make sure our team is set up with the tools and training they need to succeed in their career.
Do you want to become a part of the team? Have a look through out open positions or get in touch if you want to join us in our mission to make a difference with the use of technology.