At Absolutely PC, we strongly believe in the training of apprentices, with a company goal of giving 1,000 young people in the South West the education and experience they need for a successful career in the IT industry.
But what is it like being an apprentice at Absolutely PC? To give you a first-hand insight, who better than two of our very own, Harry and Connor who have both completed their infrastructure technician apprenticeships with us.
Throughout their apprenticeship, Harry and Connor have covered modules including networking and architecture, mobile and operating systems, cloud services, coding and logic and business processes.
Read the interview with Connor and Harry about their experience of being an apprentice at Absolutely PC, along with insight from their digital skills trainer below.
What Attracted You To Apply For An Apprenticeship In IT?
Connor – I had just been made redundant from my first job which I was at for roughly four years, I was then in and out of a few different jobs in the year that followed. I was stuck trying to find a career that I could put the skills I learnt from my first job to use in.
I then found the job at Absolutely PC which gave me the perfect opportunity to adapt the skills I already had whilst at the same time learning new ones and allowing me to pursue a career in IT which I have always had a keen interest in, so the job itself was the perfect opportunity for me to start a new career.
Harry – I have always been interested in IT, so I thought it would be a good idea to learn more about it professionally and turn what I enjoyed into a career.
How Did You Feel On Your First Day As An Apprentice?
Connor – From day one I was eager to learn what day to day life would be like in my new role. The first day I mainly spent trying to find out as much as possible about what each member of staff was doing so I could get an idea of the type of things I would eventually be doing.
Feeling wise I felt nervous much like anyone would in a new job but at the same time I was very confident going in knowing that the apprenticeship was only going to benefit me and I only had everything to gain from it.
Harry – I felt anxious as with any new job however excited at the learning opportunities that laid ahead.
What Support Have The Absolutely PC Team Given You Throughout Your Apprenticeship?
Connor – The team have been great in supporting me not only in the job but also in my personal life.
Each member of the team has always been happy to take time out of their day and talk me through solutions to problems I might be coming across with clients requests, the team always goes above and beyond to make sure I have a clear understanding of what the solution is.
Harry – The ABPC team have given great support throughout, from helping me adjust to the new job role, to providing more learning experiences to help me progress.
What Are Your Day To Day Tasks An Apprentice At Absolutely PC?
Connor – My day to day tasks mainly consist of dealing with incoming requests from our clients.
On a daily basis I always carry out checks on our clients back-ups to ensure their files have all been backed up correctly overnight, this is one the first things I do in my day as making sure clients data is being backed up safely and securely is not only extremely important to them but extremely important to us as well so I make sure I deal with any issues in regards to this promptly so we can get the data backed up straight away for client peace of mind.
Harry – Day to day, I am providing IT support for our customers, when they ring through to us, I am connecting to their machine, making a ticket for the issue to log on our system, and fixing their issues for them while answering any other questions or concerns they might have.
What New Skills Have You Learned And Developed Throughout Your Apprenticeship?
Connor – I have learnt to take my time with problems so I can get everything dealt with correctly. I’m someone who likes to have everything done promptly and quickly and although in some cases, this can be a great thing, I found that it can also lead to mistakes such as forgetting to do small things which can lead to problems long term.
During the apprenticeship, I have learnt to be patient and take my time so I can learn the correct procedures for any issues I encounter.
Harry – I have learned countless skills since I started, such as creating and setting up new users on a client’s domain controller server and migrating a client’s email platform from pop3 to Office 365.
Much of this has been in the workplace, but I have also learnt many skills through college and the exams that are a part of my apprenticeship, for example gaining a qualification for Microsoft Certified Mobility & Device connectivity.
What Is The Best Thing About Working As An Apprentice At Absolutely PC?
Connor – I personally find the best thing at Absolutely PC to be the staff, we all get along so well as colleagues and as friends.
In my short time at Absolutely PC I truly believe I’ve made some great friends, I feel I bonded with the team from my very first day making me feel right at home in the job.
We’ve also had some great times all together, particularly at Christmas & Halloween! I may have put on a bit of weight during those times from all the food that was brought into the office, but it was all worth it!
Harry – Being given endless opportunities to progress and learn new things, as well as regular meetings to help choose how I want to progress within my career.
What part of the work do you have a particular interest or passion for?
Connor – I have a very strong passion for being an onsite field engineer, I’ve always been someone who learns better with their hands and I enjoy the challenge of putting together & fixing hardware and to see it up and running on a client’s site once installed, I think there’s a lot of satisfaction to gain from that.
I’m also someone who enjoys a lot of customer interaction, I feel I’ve built some strong bonds with our clients over my first year and I think having the opportunity to visit clients sites will allow those bonds to grow as well as creating new ones with customers I may of never spoken to before over the phone.
Harry – I have a particular interest in Webhosting and often work alongside Marcus in order to gain more knowledge and move onto larger projects within that job role.
What has been your biggest accomplishment as an apprentice?
Connor – My biggest accomplishment has been the apprenticeship itself. I left school with essentially no grades, having the opportunity to even do the apprenticeship with the grades I had I feel is rare, I cannot thank John & the team enough for giving me that opportunity.
The apprenticeship has essentially given me a second chance to prove to not only myself but to everyone else that I am capable of achieving success. It also finally gave me the chance to pass Maths which is something I was never able to do until doing the apprenticeship!
Harry – My biggest accomplishment has been passing all my exams required for my qualification first time, in a field of which that a year ago, I had no prior experience.
About Remit
Remit is a national apprenticeships provider that delivers a wide range of qualifications within industries including IT; Automotive; Care; Retail; Hospitality and Food.
Wayne, who has been with the company for almost 2 years has worked with Absolutely PC previously with a different provider works as a digital skills trainer, overseeing apprentices who are completing IT professional, infrastructure technician, software development and digital marketing apprenticeships.
“Having experience working with Absolutely PC previously, I found John’s commitment to the learners second to none. The support he gives the learners throughout their apprenticeship and beyond is fantastic. It is always a pleasure to deal with all staff within the company and I am made to feel very welcome every time a visit takes place.”
“Harry and Connor have had to complete their apprenticeship during the COVID-19 lockdown and therefore a lot of expectations were put their way. Both Harry and Connor have produced excellent work during the apprenticeship, and it is clear they have had excellent support and guidance from the company in gathering the evidence required.”
“Having an apprentice enables a company to “mould” them into what the company needs them to achieve. The apprentice benefits from gaining knowledge and certificates through the modules they complete as well as practical experience being gained daily through the work they carry out. It allows the individual to develop within the role and to progress further in their career upon completion of their qualification.”
Apprenticeships at Absolutely PC
An apprenticeship can be an excellent way to develop a skillset in a new industry whilst earning, you will learn first-hand on the job from experts in the industry.
If you want to find out more about apprenticeships at Absolutely PC or have a question for Connor or Harry, we’d be happy to hear from you; fill out the form below and one of our team will get back to you.