No day is the same: The story of an HR & Recruitment Apprentice
Cassie is completing her Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship while working in a busy, people-focused HR and recruitment environment. From the start, she was clear about what she wanted: an office-based role with variety and interaction.
For Cassie, the apprenticeship route was about developing quickly, gaining experience, and building a strong platform for her future.
“I chose an apprenticeship because I wanted to develop my skills further. I thought business would be really good for me because I love admin; HR and recruitment especially.”
That fits the purpose of the Business Administrator apprenticeship: a role that supports different parts of an organisation, interacts with customers, and develops transferable skills and behaviours.
Cassie’s route into apprenticeships started with job searching and exploring options, then finding a role that felt like the right match.
“I was job searching, looking for different jobs. I didn’t entirely know what I wanted to do. I came across one apprentice role, and I didn’t exactly like what the apprenticeship was doing, but I knew… I wanted to look at different apprenticeships. I found this one. I thought it was perfect. I’ve heard really good things about Newbury College; really positive things. It just seemed like a lovely place to work. And it is a lovely place to work.”
Cassie describes a role that’s varied, fast-moving, and full of responsibility, where she’s trusted to step up and learn by doing. Some days are focused on interview preparation and admin, and sometimes she gets hands-on in the recruitment process itself.
“A typical day… is quite hard to answer because it’s so different. Every day is different. Some days there could be interviews and I’m creating interview packs. If one of the panel members aren’t in, I’ve stepped in and actually interviewed before. At first it was quite nerve-wracking, but it was really interesting—and really fun to do. I like that Newbury College felt they could trust me to actually do this.”
She also highlights how quickly priorities can shift in HR.
“We have HR meetings discussing what’s going on. A lot of the time things are unexpected and you have to deal with things really quickly. That’s just something you adapt to. It’s very fast-paced. You’ve just got to go with it. It’s great!”
A major outcome for Cassie is confidence, particularly in speaking to people, handling calls, and feeling comfortable communicating across the organisation.
“My confidence has massively improved. I don’t feel like I was as confident speaking to people beforehand. This role has really improved my confidence and speaking to people. I speak to people on the phone, which at first… was very daunting and I was very nervous. It just becomes part of everyday in the job. You get used to it quite quickly and everyone’s so lovely and supportive. You speak to colleagues, candidates, agencies… there’s so many people that you interact with on a day-to-day basis. That’s something that I’ll take forward into other career opportunities in the future.”
Cassie’s message is simple: go for it and don’t underestimate how much you can learn while gaining real experience.
“If I was to speak to someone who was questioning whether to do an apprenticeship or not, I would say one hundred percent go for it. It’s an amazing opportunity. Learning whilst actually getting that experience is an amazing thing to put on your CV. Future employers will be really impressed with that. My knowledge has gone up so much. I’m really grateful for all this knowledge that I’ve built up and that I can take forward.”