National Apprenticeship Week – meet our apprentices
To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, we’re celebrating our two Housemark apprentices, Max and Erica, who are both making outstanding contributions to our organisation. Read more about their experiences and achievements so far:
Meet Erica
Why did you want to do an apprenticeship at Housemark?
I wanted to get into work and start earning money so an apprenticeship seemed like the right thing for me rather than just doing a course. From the interview I discovered that I’d be able to get involved in lots of different business areas. I wanted to get as much experience as possible so I could discover what career path I’d like to go down.
What are you currently involved in doing?
I’m currently doing a Business Admin Level 3 at Housemark which is the equivalent to 3 A-Levels and my role is Corporate Support Assistant. Initially, I didn’t have much confidence and didn’t even want to answer a phone but over time my confidence has really built up with some great training.
I’ve been involved in Finance, Events, HR and administration – there isn’t one department I haven’t contributed to. It is helping me to figure out what I’d like to do in my future career as I’m being exposed to lots of different things. The longer I stay here the better it gets!
What do you enjoy most about your role at Housemark?
I enjoy the variety and not doing the same thing every day. Lots of people across the business are asking for my help so it means I get involved in lots of different things. I find finance particularly interesting.
I really feel that I’ve got very lucky working here as some of my friends don’t get the variety and support I do. I like the fact it’s a small company and it’s easy to talk to everyone, whether that’s a colleague or the CEO, everyone is approachable. I enjoy the freedom of working from home but also having the chance to work closely in person with my line manager who has helped to train me. I’ve had the best of both worlds!
Erica is making a huge impact across the business and is helping colleagues across all business areas, she is a valuable member of the Housemark team, and we can’t wait to see her grow and develop even more. Erica received a Housemark Hero award for her work within the finance team.
Meet Max
Why did you want to do an apprenticeship at Housemark?
I felt from the interview that there would be career progression and that there could be a lot of opportunities to get involved in different departments. I knew that I wanted to be involved in sales and I felt that this is a career path that I could go down by doing an apprenticeship in Business Administration. I felt straight away that Housemark could give me the skills I need to have a successful career in sales.
What are you currently involved in doing?
I’m a Sales and Insight Officer currently but there’s so many things I’ve got involved in. Within events I’ve been getting new business in for Clubs and training courses and I led on ticket sales for Housemark’s flagship annual event, the Housing Data and Analytics Summit, following up on leads and helping Housemark to achieve its targets. I’ve also been able to get involved in attending events across the country too.
I’ve since been involved with Housemark’s data collection platform Photobook. I’ve been shadowing the team and feel confident to book in scoping calls. I’ve been on some site visits to see how customers are benefiting from using Photobook and their successes and challenges.
What do you enjoy most about your role at Housemark?
Everyone is friendly and happy to help and has given me their time to help me learn and grow. The company culture has been great, and I’ve genuinely enjoyed coming to work with these people. There’s been a brilliant support network since I’ve been here. I always felt like I had a purpose, I’ve never felt like the ‘apprentice’.
It’s great that I’ve been able to shape my role at Housemark, that I can choose the route I want to pursue and that the apprenticeship can align with my goals and interests.
Max is a valued member of the team and has been pivotal in helping Housemark achieve some of its sales targets. We’re so proud of all the work he has done and we’re looking forward to seeing Max grow even more within his role.