Tara Moynihan NHS apprentice

Tara has completed her apprenticeship with the NHS and has now stayed with them full time to do her level 4 in Project Management.

Name: Tara Moynihan

Age: 21

What is your apprenticeship in?

 I started doing the Level 3 Business and Administration

Apprenticeship when I started in the Trust. Since finishing in August, I have enrolled onto the Level 4 Project Management  Apprenticeship with Chichester College.

What made you want to become an Apprentice?

At school, going to university was only ever the known option. I got into University to do Sociology at Roehampton, but it wasn’t a subject I was passionate about. I felt like for the amount of debt it is to go to University I couldn’t study a subject I was half hearted about. I decided that I would go into full time work instead, that’s when I found out about Apprenticeships. I believe that doing an Apprenticeship is the perfect stepping stone from full time education to Work. It was also the perfect option for me as I did not want to full opt out of education.

How has your experience been as an Apprentice?

Apprenticeships have always been affiliated with as a derogatory term, in that they only make cups of teas etc. My experience was not like this in the slightest, I have been given the same responsibilities as any other member of staff doing a similar job. I believe that being an Apprentice in such a supportive environment has led me to improve myself both professionally and personally.  I have had the opportunities to do presentations, visit schools and colleges, attend conferences. 

What have you learned/ gained from being an Apprentice?

By being an Apprentice I have been promoted within the Trust to Work Experience Co-ordinator, where I am re-structuring the Work Experience programme for the entire Trust.

Within my first year of being an Apprentice, I have done presentations in front of over 100 people, organised events; lead on different schemes within the hospital, set up social media accounts for our department to promote our activities and a lot more.  This has given me an all-round experience, adding and enhancing my skill set.

What would you say to other young people about taking the Apprenticeship route?

Doing an Apprenticeship is a very valuable opportunity. There are over 170 different frameworks, so if you are interested in a particular field there will most likely be the right Apprenticeship for you.  You will get real, hands on experience and earn a wage all whilst completing a qualification. Going to university is not the only way you can get a degree, you can do Apprenticeships at degree level.