“Thanks to my apprenticeship I’ve been able to learn on the job, haven’t amassed the debts you get from going to university, but have a foot firmly on the career ladder and I’m looking forward to the next steps.”

James Byers, aged 20, from Kippax, Leeds, started his working life as an apprentice at Brandon Medical two years ago. Here he shares his story.

“Doing an apprenticeship has been perfect for me and I’ve developed my skills so much since coming to work at Brandon Medical. The trust that the company put in me since day one has been fantastic and they’ve supported me to be able to really fulfil my role."

“It can be hard when you walk through the door to any new job and everyone there knows more than you, but as an apprentice I was encouraged to ask questions and not to feel silly for asking them. This has meant that I am now more than capable and know exactly what needs doing."

Improved Time Management
“Being an apprentice has definitely helped skills such as time management, this was something I really struggled with at sixth form and at school. My time management was terrible, my homework was often late and I wasn’t always on time to lessons. Coming into the working world has taught me that you don’t have the time for slacking and I’m much more organised with my time. That has helped a lot both inside work and outside work where I can take that skill and apply myself better to everything that I do, so that has been a massive help."

“I’d say that if you enjoy learning, but not sitting in a classroom, then an apprenticeship is perfect. I’ve loved being able to learn in a hands-on way, I was never the best at learning from just writing or reading, but actually being set on a task and going ahead and doing it has been fantastic."

Helping People all around the World
“My favourite part of the job has been interpreting information from a medical centre or hospital and finding the best solution for them from our product range. We work with organisations all across the world, so we could be helping the hospital down the road or someone from another country, and being able to help them and knowing that what I’ve done has been useful is really great."

Job Satisfaction
“Now that I’ve finished my apprenticeship I am working as a Technical Sales Estimator and it is great to remember that I started as an apprentice, not knowing a lot, but thanks to the time that people have invested in me, and the opportunities they’ve given me I am now a full time employee with a great sense of job satisfaction. I get the opportunity to help people every single day which is amazing."

The Future: Opportunities For Development
“I’m now looking to the future and I’m excited about making a name for myself in this industry. I’m looking at where I want to go next within the company and there are a lot of options. The company is growing and that brings new opportunities for development."