New Course: Maximising your time as a Degree Apprentice
If you're going through the Degree Apprenticeship process, first let me say congratulations. I think it's a brilliant concept and I'm a huge fan!
- You get paid across 3-4 years, often with the salary incrementing each year
- You get real, demonstrable work experience in the company
- And you get a University Degree included in the process!
It's all good.
But, there's an issue: You typically have to find your own way.
Yes, you're assigned a mentor. Yes, there's usually support from the University and the company's HR team. But, how do you get the best possible outcomes from your efforts?
- Are you networking correctly, internally and externally?
- Are you developing the right relationships to help you drive your career forward?
- Are you looking for opportunities to push yourself and develop your career?
- What steps are you taking to prepare for after the degree?
This is the gap I have been seeing repeatedly when I'm talking with Degree Apprentices in TikTok Lives and 1:1 coaching sessions.
It's a serious gap. Don't waste the opportunity. Too many I'm meeting, especially in TikTok Lives, are going through the motions.
So what are you doing to make sure you're getting the most from the experience?
Well, I've created a course for this! It's a series of 21 videos, dedicated to helping close that potential knowledge gap, illustrating the steps and approaches I think you should be taking, from my point of view as a senior executive.
It's just under 3 hours long, split across the following chapters:
- Chapter 1: Introduction (5 min)
This is just me giving you a brief overview and background to the course. - Chapter 2: Background & Context (5 min)
I take you briefly through my background, so you have the context for the recommendations, ideas and approaches I'm going to outline below. - Chapter 3: Tracking your success (7 min)
I'll discuss how you might consider to track your success on a regular basis – this is often ignored or given limited thought by many DAs I'm speaking to, but it's important to track your development. - Chapter 4: Create your skills roadmap (10 min)
Approach the DA opportunity with intention – where do you think you need to improve? What steps are you going to take to do that? Set this out in your skills roadmap and re-visit regularly. - Chapter 5: Learning & Development (9 min)
Accessing the additional learning and development possibilities on offer from your employer. - Chapter 6: Deliver, deliver, deliver (9 min)
Make sure you are delivering, at every stage. I talk through the importance of this and how a focused methodology here can really help drive your career. - Chapter 7: Develop your commercial awareness (10 min)
How should you be developing your commercial awareness? It's an important aspect to underpin your contributions in the workplace. - Chapter 8: Update your CV (7 min)
Don't wait. Keep your CV updated on a regular basis for (internal) opportunities. - Chapter 9: Career Check-ins and Mentors (9 min)
Managing your time and interactions with line manager check-ins and mentor sessions. - Chapter 10: Internal Networking: Senior Executives (16 min)
In this section I'm aiming to discuss 'networking' across the organisation - I've broken this down across the key constituents, starting with how you might approach senior executives. - Chapter 11: Internal Networking - EAs and Business Mgrs (8 min)
Don't forget how highly influential executive assistants and business managers can be. - Chapter 12: Internal Networking - Human Resources (12 min)
Engage regularly with your HR contacts. I also give some ideas and suggestions on how HR can be particularly helpful in guiding your career (formally and informally). - Chapter 13: Internal Networking - Your Peers (13 min)
This is often totally overlooked as an opportunity by the DAs I'm interacting with. Don't just connect with your cohort peers – look way, way beyond this. - Chapter 14: Internal Networking - Everyone Else (8 min)
It can be really, really valuable to develop relationships across the organisation, not just those in your immediate section. I talk through some techniques and ideas here. - Chapter 15: Internal Social Networks (5 min)
If your organisation has an internal social network platform like Workplace or similar, use it. It can be a brilliant way to develop and extend your network and career options. - Chapter 16: External Networking (6 min)
I suggest that this should probably be a second priority to internal networking whilst you're a DA, but I did want to discuss some approaches and methods for this too. - Chapter 17: Build your profile on LinkedIn (11 min)
LinkedIn is such a fantastic resource, but understanding it and using it correctly is important. I discuss the key points here about setting up and making sure your profile is filled out. - Chapter 18: Developing Your Experience (6 min)
I offer some ideas and suggestions here about how you might continue to develop your experience whilst you're in the DA programme. - Chapter 19: Professional Bodies (3 min)
I wanted to ensure you were thinking about joining any professional bodies or associations so I've put this one in briefly here. - Chapter 20: Plan for What's Next (12 min)
As you are nearing completion of the DA programme – but even from the start – I think it's critical to be considering, thinking, evaluating and planning for what you're aiming to do immediately after the programme finishes. - Chapter 21: Closing and Thank You (4 min)
I close with a summary and thank you.
You don't need to be a current Degree Apprentice ("DA") to get value from the course, but if you're about to begin as a DA, then it could be very helpful to start preparing your mind in readiness for starting.
