Joshua Scott - EDA Apprenticeships Plus (Electric Center)

NAW Case Study

My name is Joshua Scott and I’m currently undertaking a Level 2 Trade Supplier Apprenticeship with EDA Apprenticeships Plus (Electric Center), as an Apprentice Trainee.

After completing my degree in Economics at Newcastle University, I took a change in my career path. I pursued this apprenticeship in order to gain hands on experience and develop practical skills.

In my role, I collaborate with our marketing team and create promotional campaigns, I manage our inventory by handling goods in and out, and handle administration tasks such as processing invoices and booking in goods. This requires strong attention to detail, communication skills, and the ability to multitask efficiently. After 4 months in this role, I would say my apprenticeship has given me practical experience in this industry to complement my academic background. I believe this experience has refined my organisational and analytical skills, particularly regarding the management of our stock – and with stocktake coming up next month, this is especially important! I believe my marketing promotions have added further value to our business, currently this week we are running a darts competition and a Super Bowl Squares competition available to anybody that places an order, and we are also running a Six Nations promotion for the entirety of the tournament with prizes and raffles for orders of over £250.

I enjoy the variety of tasks in my apprenticeship, whether it is marketing or logistics, and it certainly keeps me on my toes. The hands-on experience and the mentorship from experienced colleagues (who boast nearly 100 years in the industry between them) has helped me grow professionally and personally. The apprenticeship has improved my confidence and my decision making.

Apprenticeships provide a valuable combination of earning and learning. As someone who took the university route and loved it, I appreciate the importance of developing industry-specific skills and believe the practical experience I will gain from this apprenticeship will make me more employable.

Overall, I highly recommend apprenticeships. They offer a fast-track to career success, they give you practical experience, financial independence, and valuable connections in the industry. It is also worth it for employers, they benefit from apprenticeships by developing skilled, motivated employees who bring new ideas and contribute to the growth of their business from day one.

So far, my apprenticeship has been an invaluable experience that has given me great skills for the future, and has reinforced my believe that apprenticeships provide a great career pathway.