Voxpop transcript

We asked our apprentices what they thought about the scheme - why they chose to apply, what they’ve learnt and achieved, where they want to go next. Here’s what they said:

When you start the BT Scheme you’re given real work from the start and every job you do you’re responsible for.

There is always someone there that you can speak to if you’ve got any problems.

Personally I chose to do Apprenticeship rather then going to university because it is a chance to gain qualifications and make money both at the same time.

Everyone I work with in my office is really supportive.

They have trained me up and nurtured me and said "if this is what you want to do, then we will help you and guide you".

I didn’t realise how much BT actually gets involved in, it is not just telephone lines and Broadband.

I don’t get treated any differently, and if anything I would say you get a lot more respect from people.

The biggest challenge I faced was probably when I first started and had my first interview. I found it really scary because I had come straight from college and never had a proper formal interview for anything before.

There are never two days the same. You are always doing something different everyday which keeps you going.

I thought that university wasn’t for me because I think I’d had enough of full time education - I had done my A-levels and I really wanted to get out there and get on the job training.

Working for BT has actually allowed me to be sponsored through a degree.

Probably the biggest lesson that I have learned since joining BT has been learning to communicate in a more professional way.

I have made loads of friends on the Apprenticeship scheme. We attended college for a week every month and we have all kept in contact although we have all finished college now.

One of the hardest things I had to do was cover for my manager for a few weeks last year and it was very daunting, going in and trying to manage my own team. When you are sitting alongside them everyday it gets to the stage that you actually have to manage them and you’re being their boss.

As an apprentice I do feel valued actually. They do give me a lot of time and as long as you show ambition and you want to go somewhere in life then they will give you the time.

I have got loads out of the scheme - I’ve got new friends that I have got from going to the college and studying with, I have got work experience, on-job training and qualifications.

I have worked on the Prince’s Trust Scheme, which has meant that I have got to work with other people, who I probably would never have met. People from different backgrounds within my local community even, which has really opened my eyes.

I spent three weeks on secondment in Germany with a Deutsche Telekom apprentice and I’m also hoping to get involved with the Prince’s Trust.

What I have got out of the BT Apprenticeship scheme is that I am now a much more rounded person. My confidence and all my interpersonal skills have improved dramatically in the last year and a half since I have been working for them.

I only had one preconception about working for BT and that was that there were not many directions to go in once you have a job. But I have surprised myself in the fact that there are loads of directions that I could go in, and I have ended up in a job that I love.

Of course I get to do real work - I am not just a tea boy. Yeah, I am out in field working, installing and repairing lines, but more recently I am working with a management team looking at why we spend so much money in the Midlands which is really interesting stuff.

I have grown up a lot, it has given me a lot of responsibility, it has taught me how to work in a team, how to work under pressure, working with all sorts of different people in different surroundings, different attitudes. And I think it is just amazing.