Liam Cooke; HR Advisor
Have you looked into an apprenticeship but unsure if it’s for you?
A number of our team members have undertaken an apprenticeship whilst working full time, including Liam!
Liam, our incredible HR Advisor has been with CGC for over 3 years and what a 3 years he has had!
Liam wanted to better himself in things that interested him after being settled in his role for over a year. He wanted to gain further understanding into what it means to be a People Practitioner and the theory behind how the HR function supports the company and the employees. He decided to study for a CIPD HR Level 3 apprenticeship alongside his full time role. This qualification was the first natural step for him to increase his knowledge, understanding and take the next step in his HR career.
Liam’s apprenticeship was virtual, where he attended weekly online seminars to support the modules he was working on. His course lasted for 16 months, which he has now passed and achieved his level 3 qualification. With this in his pocket, it now allows him to purse the level 5 qualification in the near future.
This qualification has helped Liam understand and gain knowledge on how a HR function works.
It has given him a better understanding of laws and legislations which helps in his role when supporting queries that come through from colleagues. His role comes with a multitude of “hats” he needs to wear, and this qualification has given him the tools he needs to deliver the best support and advice. By increasing his knowledge in HR and the new and developed skills he has obtained, it has allowed him to pick up new projects, tasks and issues with ease, giving him more responsibility within the core company and parent company.
Studying through a level 3 apprenticeship whilst working full time is a huge challenge, but it’s something Liam was able to overcome.
“The greatest challenge is of course time, the HR department is busy year-round and trying to sacrifice one day a week to focus on studies meant that I had to prioritise my work and utilise my calendar to accommodate additional projects and tasks.” Another challenge Liam faced was his dyslexia and dyscalculia; “having these disabilities hindered me when it came to reading and writing, especially under pressure, however having resiliency and determination, I was able to overcome this and achieve my goal.”
Learning more about why Liam decided to undertake his apprenticeship, we wanted to know if he would recommend this to others;
“I would definitely recommend pursuing further qualifications in your field of work as it opens so many doors for you to progress in your career and by doing an apprenticeship, it allows you the flexibility to carry on working and apply what you have learnt to your role before you have completed the course. It also gives you a self-sense of achievement which is the best feeling, knowing that you have accomplished something for yourself. If, like me, you have a disability, that feeling of accomplishment is that much better as you have overcome something personal to you!”
Are you looking to upskill your career? An apprenticeship is a great way to improve on those already growing skills.