Apprenticeships come in all shapes and professions. For Niamh from Greenford, it was the route she needed to fulfil her career ambitions.

“When I first started work, I was so shy I barely spoke,” said Niamh, 26. Now an HR (‘human resources’) advisor working with Balfour Beatty Vinci Systra (BBVS), HS2’s Old Oak Common Station construction partner, she views her apprenticeship as giving her the ‘confidence and skills’ she needed to enter the workforce.

Niamh studied philosophy at university. She enjoyed her degree, but like many young people, she soon faced the challenge of needing experience to get experience and not knowing where to begin.

Practical path into HR

Her journey took a step in the right direction when a local employment support service, a local employment support service, introduced her to a HR apprenticeship. It was the route that finally made entering the world of work and HR achievable.

She could learn while working, without building up further study costs, which confirmed to her that it was the right path to take. “It’s what really got my foot in the door,” she said.

Growing through real experience

As an apprentice, Niamh also studied at West London College’s Ealing campus.

“My apprenticeship felt like the perfect balance,” she said. “I could learn the theory in college, then apply it at work the very next day.”

And her confidence has grown as her skills have developed.

“When I started, I barely spoke in meetings,” she said. “Now I’ve presented to rooms of 400 people and even more online.”

This confidence didn’t come only from textbooks – it came from learning, working, and developing in a supportive team.

“All those little things add up,” she said. “Then, one day, you look back and realise you’ve become a completely different person.”

Following her apprenticeship, Niamh progressed into an HR co-ordinator role. She is now a HR advisor for BBVS.

To explore current apprenticeship opportunities in Ealing, visit Work Ealing or the government’s website.

Benefits for businesses

Niamh’s story shows how apprenticeships transform individual careers. But they also boost businesses, because apprenticeships offer:

• motivated staff who are eager to learn
• fresh ideas and new perspectives
• talent that can be shaped from the ground up
• greater retention of workforce
• access to support from the council, reducing hiring risk
• the ability to use the council’s apprenticeship levy funding to cover training costs.

Want to get involved?

Ealing Council, through the Ealing Borough Apprenticeship Programme (EBAS), continues to work with schools, colleges and employers across the borough to create high-quality apprenticeship opportunities for residents and help develop a skilled and sustainable local workforce.

If you’re interested in hiring an apprentice or want to explore how the council can help you, including through levy funding:

Email: apprenticeships@ealing.gov.uk
Phone: 020 8825 6234