Apprentice Spotlight: Shannon Phillips, GloucestershireLive Apprenticeship Awards 2020 Finalist

Celebrating outstanding apprentices at Gloucestershire College

The winners of the GloucestershireLive Apprenticeship Awards 2020 are soon to be announced during a virtual awards ceremony on Thursday 19th November 2020. Gloucestershire College is proud to share the achievements of our outstanding apprentices, with six finalists in the awards this year. We are delighted to shine a spotlight on our finalists to celebrate their incredible achievements and inspire others to pursue an apprenticeship. Congratulations to all our finalists, we have our fingers crossed for you on the big night!

Shannon Phillips, Customer Service Apprentice at Truly Tailored Recruitment 

Tell us how does it feel to be a finalist in the GloucestershireLive Apprenticeship Awards?

Although very exciting, it is also little bit scary as well! I honestly didn’t expect to be a finalist! My team nominated me for the award. I’ve got a great team here at Truly Tailored Recruitment who always see my achievements before I do, so they surprised me with putting me forward for the award! It’s great to be a finalists as it shows my determination to succeed and hopefully I will have a successful career path ahead of me. If I won Gloucestershire’s Apprentice of the Year, I would be ecstatic! It would feel like a fantastic accomplishment.

Why do you think it’s important for apprenticeships to be recognised and celebrated in Gloucestershire?

I wouldn’t be where I am today without having done an apprenticeship. It is so important to celebrate all the hard work young people put into their education.

How did you find your employer and apply for the apprenticeship?

I applied for an administrator role at Truly Tailored Recruitment. The application process was really simple. I had an interview with our director, Abi Howell, who offered me a role within the company as an apprentice then and there! They discussed the role with me and I decided to jump straight in and grab the opportunity with both hands. Within my first days, the apprenticeship trainer at Gloucestershire College had been in to give me an introduction to the course and it went from there. It was really smooth and not nerve-racking at all, which was great as I was slightly worried when I got the interview as I’d never had an interview before!

Tell us a bit about your job role as an apprentice.

My role as an apprentice changed throughout the course. I started as an administrator supporting the Temporary Division at Truly Tailored Recruitment. I then found that I loved sales and dealing with customers and clients. I was then able to build up my own desk and clients which grew from there.

What was your favourite thing about your apprenticeship and what are your plans for the future?

My favourite thing about my apprenticeship was working and learning. I’ve always been a hands on learner and being in a professional working environment really changed me as a person. I grew into a more professional, mature individual plus it also taught me general life skills. My plan is to be the ‘go-to’ temporary recruiter in Gloucestershire. I love recruitment and helping our local businesses. I want to be the best at it!

Would you recommend doing an apprenticeship?

I would highly recommend doing an apprenticeship. I think learning while gaining work experience sets young people up for a career and gives them more confidence in what they what to do.

Congratulations from everyone at Gloucestershire College, Shannon! Best of luck for the awards.

Gloucestershire College Apprentice Finalists in the GloucestershireLive Apprenticeship Awards 2020

• Carl Eustace, HR Apprentice at Superdry Plc in the Business, Administrative & Financial Services category
• Ella Russell, Business Administration Apprentice at Tewkesbury School in the Business, Administrative & Financial Services category
• Jack Chapman, Engineering Apprentice at Renishaw in the Engineering, Manufacturing, Energy & Electrical category
• Ellie Martin, Business Administration Apprentice at Pittville School in the Health, Wellbeing, Care & Education category
• Imogen Collins, Dental Nursing Apprentice at myFACE Dentistry and Facial Aesthetics in the Health, Wellbeing, Care & Education category
• Shannon Phillips, Customer Service apprentice at Truly Tailored Recruitment in the Hospitality, Travel & Customer Service category

Gloucestershire College is a proud finalist for Gloucestershire's Apprenticeship Training Provider of the Year 2020

Director of Apprenticeships and Employer Training, Julie Tegg, said: “We are delighted to be named a finalist in this year’s apprenticeship awards. Thanks to our industry-expert trainers, bespoke programmes accredited by leading bodies and new training suites created with employer input, we provide businesses with cutting-edge training solutions that are flexible and responsive to skills gaps. 

“As always, the success of our apprenticeship programmes lies largely with our dedicated teams at the GC Business Hub, so I would like to thank them all once again for their hard work and look forward to celebrating with them on awards night!” 

Watch the virtual awards live on Thursday 19th November 2020

We’re looking forward to finding out the winners, congratulations to all the finalists! The event will be streamed live on YouTube from 6.30pm and hosted by Steve Knibbs from BBC Points West.