Apprentice success stories – Paul Pennock

In this blog post, we highlight another of our incredible apprentices, Paul Pennock, who has impressed us with his dedication and commitment to his professional development. Looking to advance in his career and meet the qualification requirements for a desired job role, Paul completed an L4 Associate Project Manager in Project Management with us, earning an incredible distinction grade.

Read our Q&A with Paul below to learn more about his apprenticeship journey and how the skills he gained will help him thrive in his new role.

Q) What is your name and current role?

My name is Paul Pennock, I am a Project Manager at Mitie.

Q) What led you to start your chosen apprenticeship?

It was a requirement for my current job role to complete this apprenticeship.

Q) What does a typical day look like for you?

First, I’ll arrive on-site, go through security, head to the desk, log in to a few systems, and check my emails. The next steps will depend on whether a project is just getting started or I am currently working on one.

I have a set routine that I follow when a new project begins. First, I’ll schedule and attend a site meeting with the maintenance team and client staff.

Once I am aware of the client’s requirements, I will liaise with subcontractors, requesting quotations, RAMS, competencies, and personnel details to enable them to be booked onto the site.

I will then organise site meetings to discuss the scope of a project with all parties involved. I will discuss costings with subcontractors and provide the proposal document to the client.

I will then request and review RAMS 10 days in advance, and organise a pre-start meeting with all parties.

Next, I will book engineers onto the site and escorts, before inducting the engineers on the site. I will undertake regular monitoring visits to the work area during the project for health and safety and scope management.

When a job is completed, I will review the work with the client and subcontractors. If the requirements are met, I will agree to handover and complete the handover document.

Q) Do you have an example of when you have applied your obtained knowledge and skills?

Each day is different; by having the recently learnt knowledge & skills related to my field of work I have more confidence to back up my answers for clients and subcontractors.

An example of this is when I completed a project as part of my apprenticeship on gender-neutral toilets. It was very important that I applied and followed government legislation e.g. E&D. The programme did raise some conflict within the team, and I was able to use skills I had developed on the programme to deal with this conflict professionally.

Q) What advice would you give to someone starting an apprenticeship?

You should dedicate 1 day every week to completing the apprenticeship. Do not allow normal day-to-day work to get in the way of that time as if you do, you will fall behind and struggle to catch up, eventually becoming overwhelmed.

Q) How did your manager/mentor and trainer support you whilst on the programme?

My manager was great and always available. The trainer support I received from Annie was fantastic.

Q) Was there a highlight of your apprenticeship?

The endpoint assessment and how relaxed it was especially when I received the news I’d achieved a Distinction.

Q) Do you feel the apprenticeship has helped your future aspirations and do you have any plans for your career or further development?

Absolutely! I now have a professional qualification to back up the experience I have in my role. I will be pushing for promotions with my employers.

Q) Name one positive experience you have taken away from your apprenticeship.

I have gained more confidence to lead meetings and challenge others in my day-to-day role. I have to complete numerous meetings which I chair and deal with different stakeholders at direct levels.

Apprentice success story

Paul’s apprenticeship journey illustrates what can be accomplished when a motivated learner works with a capable team of instructors. Paul says that this course has increased his confidence to the point where he is now comfortable chairing meetings and facing challenges he would have previously avoided, demonstrating how this course can help prepare you for important roles and advance your professional development.

We’d like to say a huge congratulations to Paul on his accomplishment and thank our team for guiding him through this important process. Success stories like this would not be possible without our expert, talented trainers.

If you’re interested in pursuing an apprenticeship or training programme and taking the next step in your career, contact our team today.