Written by Will Rice, People & Talent Apprentice
When leaving school last summer I was faced with the big debate on whether I should go down the university or apprenticeship path. There was always a constant sense of pressure, as going to university was ‘the norm’ compared to the unconventionality of an apprenticeship. However, I always felt that an apprenticeship would be a great opportunity for me to feed my work ethic and gain new skills and knowledge, all whilst working towards getting qualifications to assist my future aspirations. In my personal experience I loved the idea of working in a varied field with a strong people focus, so the HR function called out to me and that’s when I began my search.
I came across Cisilion’s People & Talent apprentice role on the ‘find an apprenticeship page’ on GOV.uk which gave me everything I needed to know from what my day-to-day role would look like, what skills and personality traits they were looking for and most importantly how I could apply. The application process was simple and involved a quick series of questions, including why I wanted an apprenticeship and why Cisilion over other companies. I loved the idea of working for Cisilion as it operates in the technical industry which is a continuously changing market, with non-stop opportunities for expansion and development. Not to mention their Leatherhead office is local to me. I also took the time to investigate Cisilion, their website and socials really demonstrated how people centred the company is, fostering a collaborative culture and prioritising employee wellbeing. Cisilion’s incentives, benefits and willingness to do good through their ESG strategy are also what attracted me to the role.
The hiring process involved three quick interview stages with the first two being virtual for the team to get to know me and learn about why I was applying and what I wanted to gain from the apprenticeship long term. They took the time to get to know me on a personal level, such as what I studied during school for my A-levels, what I get up to in my spare time and what interests me the most with the industry Cisilion is in. I then had a final stage interview which gave me a chance to meet my team face-to-face and fortunately, the next day Cisilion offered me the role and that’s how my apprenticeship journey began.
There is a great balance between my apprenticeship learning and requirements of my role, where Cisilion has given me dedicated times during the week to focus with my courses and set modules so that my workload doesn’t get too overwhelming. Everyone here is super friendly, caring and understanding. From a HR perspective Cisilion do everything possible to make sure all our employees feel comfortable and heard. Examples of these are regular 121’s, performance reviews and HR onboarding reviews which gives everyone the opportunity to offer any feedback or raise any concerns in order for appropriate action to be taken.
In the future I hope to achieve my Level 3 CIPD and move onto Level 5. Career wise I am aiming to become an experienced and skilled HR professional at Cisilion where people can feel confident in my ability to support them. I am excited to make as many contributions to Cisilion as I can, helping all departments. Overall, I’ve been really enjoying my apprenticeship here at Cisilion and I would relish the opportunity to help any of those looking into joining Cisilion on an apprentice through a similar scheme.