Meet our professional apprentices.

Here at G.Network, our apprentices are crucial to everything we do. This National Apprenticeship Week, we’re celebrating our colleagues who’ve taken up an apprenticeship while working at G.Network. Meet Sami, Dhara, and Eniko, three of our professional apprentices. 

I’m a Finance Analyst at G.Network, also studying for a Level 7 Accountancy/Taxation apprenticeship. 

In my day-to-day role, I work on business reporting. Mostly, that’s retrieving and analysing a huge amount of financial data, ensuring we’re reporting this data correctly, in a clear and concise way for stakeholders across the business. Within the financial reporting team, we also track financial progress across the business, highlighting our key areas of performance and where we can improve.

I joined G.Network 4 years ago on the basis that I could work full time as a Project Accountant while getting my qualification. And even though I’m studying for an apprenticeship, I was promoted about a year into joining, and have moved into different roles within the finance team – being an apprentice doesn’t hold you back from progressing in your career. I did think about undertaking my studies without the apprenticeship element, but for me, the apprenticeship has brought a huge amount of support I otherwise wouldn’t have had. 

I spend around 20% of my time at work studying towards my apprenticeship. This includes going to classes, meetings with my tutor, and putting what I learn into practice within the G.Network finance team. My manager knows which module I’m studying at any time, so even if it’s something that’s not part of my normal role, he gets me involved so I can experience real life examples.

What’s great about G.Network is I feel us professional apprentices get the same amount of care and attention as those on full time apprenticeships. Working and studying at the same time can be difficult, but when things get busy, I know I can always balance my workload. 

With delays from the pandemic, it’s taken slightly longer than expected to complete my apprenticeship. But it feels strange now that I’m coming to the end. Soon, I’ll be a fully qualified accountant, and with that comes lots of opportunities for career progression within G.Network. I’m excited for what’s to come!

I’m a Business Partner in the HR team and last year, I completed my Level 5 CIPD HR Partner apprenticeship… with a distinction!

I joined G.Network in 2019 when the company was much smaller and the HR team was just starting out. Here, I got exposure to all areas of working in HR, from recruitment, to putting policies and processes in place. My manager has always looked out for my professional development, and when  I was promoted to Business Partner, she encouraged me to take on an apprenticeship. 

Doing a professional apprenticeship is all about learning on the job, while also understanding the theory behind what you’re doing. This gave me a richer learning experience (compared to studying fulltime) because I was experiencing real life situations that complemented my studies. As well as that, being part of the apprenticeship has meant I’ve built a fantastic network of HR professionals outside of G.Network.

The support I received from G.Network and my team was amazing. I could take study days, and I learned to manage stakeholder expectations when I had an essay deadline, for example. It was also useful having an external lead trainer, who I spoke to a lot, and having a different viewpoint on things was really useful.

If I had any advice for others considering a professional apprenticeship, I would say you need to be passionate about what you’re doing. It’s a big commitment, but it’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve done. I feel like I’ve really accomplished something. It’s also cemented my decision to progress my HR career, and one day I’d love to do the Level 7 qualification.

I’m a Payroll Administrator in the Finance team, as well as being a Level 3 Assistant Accountant Apprentice.

Since joining G.Network in 2019, I’ve been able to work in different areas of Finance. I started in the Accounts Payable team, looking after project costs and managing several subcontractor accounts, before moving to the Payroll team. From this, I’ve gained a wide range of skills, making me a more rounded finance professional. So when I sat down to talk about career development with my manager, and he suggested I think about doing a professional apprenticeship, I was immediately interested. 

Since starting my apprenticeship, I dedicate every Friday afternoon to studying and attending classes. It’s great to have this structure to my week and it means I don’t get overwhelmed with work. Everyone in the Finance team at G.Network is always willing to help too. I have fantastic mentors who take the time to show me what they’re working on when it’s relevant to my apprenticeship – we’re very much a collaborative team.

When my apprenticeship finishes in a few months (fingers crossed I pass my final exams!) I’m taking some time off to have a baby. When I come back to G.Network, my goal is to become a finance analyst to develop my skills even further and put my apprenticeship into practice.

It’s great that these opportunities exist internally within G.Network, and I’d encourage anyone to ask what opportunities might be open to you. Being a professional apprentice is a rewarding experience and something I’m very proud of.