The Apprentices
This National Apprenticeship Week two former apprentices Fran and Lianne and current apprentice Anthony share their experiences of learning and working ‘on the job’ here at the Gambling Commission.
Posted 14 February 2025 by Dipesh Mistry, Francesca Richards, Lianne Seddon, Anthony Tedd
“Being a young single parent, it can feel like your options are limited… It hasn’t been an easy path to get here but without an apprenticeship my academic career would have been put on hold.”
Fran finished her apprenticeship with us last year and now works in the Internal Communications team. To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, we’re sharing insights from our current and former apprenticeship cohort, Fran, Lianne, and Anthony.
Fran and Lianne went from college into their apprenticeships, and Anthony, who has already enjoyed a full career running his own service business, made a career change into the corporate environment.
Here are the top five learnings from their experiences:
1. Autonomy
Anthony talked about how autonomy is an unexpected part of his apprenticeship, and of working at the Commission.
“I’m enjoying the amount of freedom, responsibility and autonomy I've been given, and how valued my opinion is.” Often apprenticeships are perceived as very rigid, but the experiences of our team suggest otherwise.
2. Learning in action
Lianne has thrived in the environment she’s found herself in, “Looking back at when I started, I didn’t have a lot of the skills I have now so it’s surprising to see how much you can learn in a short amount of time. Each area of my team does something completely different, and I have been able to get involved in each one.”
3. Positive challenges
Anthony wanted the new experience of a corporate environment and anticipated a period of adaptation. He has found it a challenge but has embraced the culture. "I've found the organisation's terminology, comprehensive documentation and administrative procedures all quite different to what I've been used to. While embracing these new elements, I'm mindful of maintaining my authentic personality that makes me effective at what I do."
4. Trust the process
“I’d heard that the Civil Service was a good employer which sparked everything off for me. While you don’t choose your employer within the Civil Service scheme, it didn’t matter to me. There were several interviews, but everyone was really nice at each of those stages.”
When Fran completed her apprenticeship, she also secured a distinction. She was one of four others in the cohort, and out of 867 initial applicants to the scheme.
5. The perfect fit
Lianne would recommend the scheme to anyone curious about it. “You learn a great number of skills that can be transferred to different roles, and if you’re starting out your career it’s the best way to begin.” Fran says the scheme transformed her career, “I would still be sat in the shop window where I used to work if I hadn’t gone for it. Follow your faith not your fear!”
There’s one experience that stood out for our apprentices which Anthony sums up, “I feel lucky that I’ve joined a team where I feel I can be myself. My team are awesome.”
Perceptions of careers in the Civil Service are changing, and to explain how the Commission views the role of apprenticeships is Learning and Development Manager, Dipesh Mistry.
“Apprenticeships are a great way to gain formally recognised qualifications with no tuition fees. It allows the learner to gain industry insight, while also applying their learning in their role. It allows a direct path to designing a learner’s career in a direction suitable to their career aspirations.
“However, while there are many benefits for apprentices, the value is both for the employer and the learner. For us apprentices can bring a fresh perspective, tailored skill development, talent development and retention to name a few.
“Apprenticeships are flexible and inclusive. While it’s an opportunity for early starters in careers to earn and learn, they are also an opportunity for people who already have career or life experiences who want to upskill or re-skill.”
There are a wealth of career opportunities available both within the Civil Service and arms-length bodies such as the Commission. To find out more about the opportunities available here, visit the careers page.
Related content
to find out more about the Civil Service apprenticeship scheme (opens in new tab) you can read more on their website
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