Jordan Edwards - Lincolnshire Action Trust

NAW Case Study

My name is Jordan and I’m Finance Officer for Lincolnshire Action Trust. LAT is a small charity which works within the criminal justice system, supporting a wide variety of clients both within prisons, in the community and women who are at risk of becoming involved in the criminal justice system.

We run a number of projects across Lincolnshire, Humberside and Rutland, including facilitating prison visits, supporting the families and friends of prisoners, employability, mental health and wellbeing, those at risk of homelessness or drug and alcohol dependency and a range of other interventions for service users both within prisons and in the community, both males and females.

Our finance team is small, consisting of myself and our Finance Manager, so I am responsible for most of the day to day financial transactions of the organisation. Day to day, this includes processing credit card transactions, sales and purchase invoices, BACS payments, reconciliation of banks statements as well as credit control. I also submit the VAT return, various financial returns to partner agencies and administer grant funding to purchase necessary items for clients, as well as supplying ad hoc financial reports to senior managers. I also process staff expense claims and have oversight of the timesheet submission process, which also means training new starters on these systems and supporting staff with any queries.

I initially started my apprenticeship journey in 2019, first with a Level 2 Business Administration qualification. I then moved on to my finance qualifications, starting with AAT Level 3 and I have recently completed my AAT Level 4. The biggest impact it has had on me in the last five years is the boost to my confidence. I have gained the knowledge and confidence to challenge people when I think errors have been made, as well as being able to make my voice heard within the work place. I have also developed my skills and knowledge of accounting, so am able to make a positive impact on the company, supporting staff, managers and clients. This has also allowed me to take on more duties, taking over jobs from my manager like the VAT return and Sage management journals with little oversight, freeing up her time to work on budgets and other aspects of management accounting.

There are many benefits to apprenticeships, both to the apprentices themselves and to the companies that employ them. When I first started working for LAT almost 6 years ago, I’d never had a payed job before. Despite having graduated from university I found it impossible to secure employment despite attending numerous interviews. The apprenticeship offered a way into the workforce, as well as a salary and training on the job. By offering apprenticeships, employers have the opportunity to invest in their workforce, ensuring employees are trained to a high standard and able to make a positive impact to the company.

I am in the last few steps of my apprenticeship, having completed my qualification, but I think it’s fair to say it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Being able to learn on the job, develop my skills and build my confidence has set me up for a promising future in accountancy, and I’m grateful to LSP and LAT for providing the opportunity.