The importance of apprenticeships: Meshach’s story

In March, Rishi Sunak pledged to create 20,000 apprenticeships for people aged 21 or under, matched with £60 million worth of funding for 2025. The move responds to growing calls in the UK for non-academic career progression opportunities, especially as the amount of young people not in education, employment or training has risen to 9.2 million following the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the FM sector specifically, apprenticeships are key to mitigating the recruitment crisis caused in part by an ageing workforce and skilled-work shortage. Though the government’s pledge is targeted towards young people, apprenticeships are a much-needed route for people of all different ages and skill levels.

Meshach Philip was 27 when he started his apprenticeship at building services company Integral. Meshach works for and learns within an FM business, as a learning & development coordinator apprentice. As part of his role, he is learning life-long skills and helps run the vocational pathways within Integral’s apprenticeship programme.

Meshach’s background

When Meshach finished his BA in International Politics in 2020, he was at a crossroad. He worked in hospitality, taking shifts at a pub, and was reluctant to start a master’s during the ‘on-off’ nature of lockdowns.

One day, he struck up a conversation with a friendly patron and was given some great advice to look at learning & development (L&D) as a vocational pathway. It was perfect for a politics graduate as both subjects converge in the skills they require – public speaking, research, being creative, meetings, negotiations and more.

Meshach did some research on the area and decided to fund his own CIPD Level 3 in a People Practice qualification in December 2021. He never looked back.

Struggling to find an L&D role, Meshach eventually got an interview with Integral for the position he’s in today: L&D coordinator apprentice. It was attractive from a theoretical and practical perspective because it was unique, letting him be both an apprentice and the lead of the apprenticeship process.

The variety apprenticeships can offer

As an L&D coordinator apprentice, Meshach helps run the eight vocational pathways Integral offers in its apprenticeship programme: engineering/building services, facilities management, projects, sustainability, energy, business administration, customer experience, and the pathway he chose – leadership and management.

From there, apprenticeship applicants then select a level of study from the four available:

• Level 2:These apprenticeships provide basic knowledge and skills for specific jobs and are equal to GCSEs.
• Level 3:Offers more specialised knowledge and skills and equate to A Levels.
• Levels 4-6:Focus on higher-level professional skills and can be equal to a foundation degree, a Higher National Certificate (HNC) or a Higher National Diploma (HND). They can also equate to a full bachelor’s degree or master’s degree.

Meshach completed a Level 3 apprenticeship, but Levels 4 to 6 can require different qualifications to complete, such as GCSE English and Maths, which applicants can receive additional training to meet.

The apprenticeship training

Meshach’s role began in project development, where he learned to devise cases and projects and develop his leadership skills. He developed mini projects for the L&D team. One of his first tasks was to outline the LinkedIn Learning Development Pathways for graduate learners in the wider JLL business.

He completed online training on the LinkedIn Learning platform, where he developed his coaching and mentoring skills. There, Meshach learned as a mentee how to conduct himself when being coached by either a buddy or mentor.

Another project included planning for a change in the apprenticeship management process within Integral – where he developed a business case and accompanying ‘board pack’ he then presented to Integral’s L&D lead.

His work was varied and educational, benefiting him and Integral’s L&D department at the same time. It also allowed Meshach to build long-lasting relationships within the team. He found that developing a rapport with his training officer and line manager improved his communication skills and helped him balance the course and work responsibilities of the apprenticeship.

His advice

As a L&D coordinator apprentice, Meshach has learned how to be a team player, to never take criticism personally, and to always ask questions.

Apprenticeships allow applicants work in large business networks, which is why it’s important to become part of the conversation. By joining company social events, Meshach believes apprentices can show sincere efforts to embed themselves in work culture and learn of new opportunities within the business.

Meshach believes that apprenticeships offer people structured support and a feel for the working world that traditional academic pathways don’t immediately offer. These pathways teach trainees how to deliver in meetings, understand teamworking, network and successfully deliver on projects.

The government’s willingness to fund more apprenticeships is a promising move for businesses and the UK workforce alike. But no matter the age of the applicant, apprenticeships provide an alternative pathway for long-lasting, skilful, and paid employment. Explore the benefits of an apprenticeship in a skill area that suits you.

If you’d like to learn more about Integral’s apprenticeships, explore its vacancies.