Why did you choose a Degree Apprenticeship?

I chose a degree apprenticeship as I wanted to continue studying while getting hands on experience in my chosen industry. The traditional university route was an option for me, and I wanted to study international business, but when it came to making the final decision, it crossed my mind that I could learn the foundations of business better by being in an organisation. I was very lucky at school that both post-18 routes of university and degree apprenticeships were pushed equally the same, so I didn’t feel any pressure and had the support from those around me, and I can confidently say that choosing to do a degree apprenticeship has been the best decision I could have ever made!

Looking back over your time (so far), how have you found the whole experience?

I remember when choosing my degree apprenticeship, I heard many outdated opinions such as an apprenticeship was the ‘easy route.’ Now I have almost finished my course I can confirm that this is most definitely not the case at all! It’s been tough but nothing worth working hard for comes easy.

The whole university experience has been amazing, and I truly have learnt so much over the last two and a half years. I get to apply that to my role at Franklyn Financial Managementon a day-to-day basis which is great to see it come to life.

I can’t fault Manchester Met as a degree apprenticeship provider; it is no wonder they have won so many awards for what they do! There is always support there if you need and they really understand the responsibilities we have as young working individuals within our organisations. I’ve had my Skills Coach, Laura, with me every step of the university journey and she has been great to guide me through it all as well as answer any questions I have had.

How are you hoping a Degree Apprenticeship will support your career progression?

The Chartered Manager (Fast Track) Degree Apprenticeship route will hopefully help me become a better, well rounded manager and will give me the additional tools needed to take on a range of projects within Franklyn. I’m not too sure what the future holds, but whatever it does, I know that choosing a degree apprenticeship has definitely helped set me in good stead.

What impact has your Degree Apprenticeship had in the organisation?

My project as part of my degree apprenticeship was to roll out our new children’s book, ‘Franklyn – No Ordinary Fox’, into schools across the North West of England which has had a huge local community impact.

Since I started the project last year, we have given out almost 500 books, visited 14 schools and reached more than 1,000 students on our school tour, and I have subsequently helped work towards our education programme aim at instilling young people with good financial habits from a young age.

The value for Franklyn has been second to none and not only was this project as part of my degree apprenticeship, but I used many of the new frameworks I had learnt already on my course for this.

Would you recommend a Degree Apprenticeship?

You have to remember that every decision made should be personal to the individual making it, but if a degree apprenticeship is something that you are considering I would 110% go for it!

Degree apprenticeships have so many benefits to both the employer and the apprentice, and I will continue to recommend them to everyone I meet.

I’ve loved my time at Manchester Met on the Chartered Manager (Fast-Track) Degree Apprenticeship course.

My Manager Says…

“It has been great to watch Chloe grow and develop throughout her journey on the Chartered Manager Fast-Track Apprenticeship. Chloe continues to flourish within the business and it’s great to see her hard work paying off by the change in her role and increased responsibilities. I’m excited to see what the future holds for Chloe at Franklyn.”

Gemma Tunstall, Practice Manager