My journey from apprentice to full-time employee with Liquid Friday

Taking part in an apprenticeship with Liquid Friday is an excellent opportunity to secure a full time job after your NVQ has finished, subject to a high level of performance. Liquid Friday offers great opportunities to develop your skills, with additional training options and chances to move into different departments. We also offer fantastic company incentives and unique benefits, as well as a fun and challenging place to work.

We spoke to former apprentice and newly inducted employee, Rebekah Riddell about her apprenticeship experience with Liquid Friday.

How did you come to be an apprentice at Liquid Friday?

I was referred to a training session that was being held for Liquid Friday by the learning provider. I had already done the tests so it was just a case of learning about Liquid Friday and Liquid Friday getting to know me. It was recommended to me because I had lost my previous apprenticeship as the company went out of business.

What did the apprenticeship involve?

Due to the commitments at work I didn’t actually do the day release to college to do the work for my apprenticeship, instead they came into the office and were in constant contact, keeping me on track for what I needed to be doing.

How long did the apprenticeship last? You mentioned you did it quicker, how did this compare in time to the standard apprenticeship timescales?

I started at Liquid Friday at the beginning of March 2013 and finished in mid-November 2013, when most apprenticeships are supposed to last a year and a day. I was with the same learning provider and they just added the time from my previous apprenticeship to the one I did with Liquid Friday, that’s why it seemed so short.

What did you get at the end of the process? Eg. a job, qualifications etc?

At the end I received a full-time job offer in the role of Compliance Administrator and achieved the following qualifications:

• Level 2 Certificate in Business and Admin
• Level 2 Certificate in Principles of Business and Admin
• Functional Skills in ICT

Did you enjoy the process? Would you recommend an apprenticeship to others?

The process was amazing, I got to learn while working with some brilliant co-workers and I have recommended apprenticeships to others, I even helped my sister find one in her chosen field.

Do you have any advice to others when selecting an apprenticeship?

Be careful when accepting an apprenticeship, make sure it’s the right place for you before jumping in, you could be stuck in a place that doesn’t truly value what you can do and respect what you’re there for. It would be nice to go for the first thing offered but it’s not always what’s best for you.

What’s next for you?

For now I’ll be staying with Liquid Friday, seeing what I can do for the business and just see where the job takes me. I have been offered and accepted a role within the Compliance Team at Liquid Friday which I am really excited about. This will enable me to showcase my skills and really make a difference.

Thanks Rebekah and congratulations on both your qualifications and joining Liquid Friday as a full-time employee!

What other staff said about Becca

Joe Taffurelli, Customer Care Manager at Liquid Friday and Becca’s line manager said: “Becca has been an amazing addition to our growing team at Liquid Friday. Since joining us as an Apprentice Administrator, Becca has really impressed with her tenacity and ability to tackle big subjects such as compliance and customer service. She is an extremely confident member of the team and has impressed with her attitude towards continual personal development. She consistently exceeds my expectations and really embodies everything Liquid Friday stands for.

Becca has been an amazing addition to our growing team at Liquid Friday.

Becca is a great asset for the team and we are really looking forward to the future!”

About Liquid Friday and Apprenticeship opportunities

Liquid Friday is passionate about giving young people in the area opportunities which they may not be able to get from other avenues.

Dom Aighton, NVQ Manager at Liquid Friday said, “Liquid Friday is passionate about giving young people in the area opportunities which they may not be able to get from other avenues.

With the help of our training provider, Fareport, we have ensured that we get the best quality candidates. As part of the recruitment process we like to attend the assessment days Fareport arrange for prospective candidates, which according to Fareport hardly any other employers do.  This gives us flavour of how the applicants interact with the potential employer.

We are very proud of our success rate with our apprentices.  All 11 of the apprentices we have taken on since 2010 have either been taken on a full time basis on the completion of their course or have gone onto the higher level scheme.  Also, a few of these apprentices have gone onto further training to develop their skills in the financial industry, be it AAT or CIPP courses”.

Theresa Maple, Head of Operations at Fareport says, “Fareport are extremely privileged to have worked with Liquid Friday since 2010.

We have enjoyed a strong working partnership with Liquid Friday and hope this continues for many more years.

Since the beginning, Liquid Friday have fully embraced Apprenticeships, believing that equipping their staff with the right skills and knowledge ensures they themselves can better meet the needs of a rapidly growing business.

Management and staff have been actively involved with the learners journey from day one, ensuring the roles are both challenging and varied.  The support and guidance they demonstrate, not only to the learners, but to Fareport staff when on site, is exceptional.

Building good relationships with employers can often be challenging, but working with employers who go above and beyond to promote and invest in learning and development, continuously investing in training, is what makes the job worthwhile.

We have enjoyed a strong working partnership with Liquid Friday and hope this continues for many more years”.

I would recommend taking on Apprentices to any Employer but, as always – you only get out what you put in.

Liquid Friday Operations Director, Alex Baines added: “Apprentices add a great deal of value to our business and we’re big advocates of the scheme. We’re actively involved in the process from handpicking our apprentices at assessment days, organised in conjunction with our training partner Fareport, to supporting the NVQ training with practical business skills and experience. I would recommend taking on Apprentices to any Employer but, as always – you only get out what you put in.”

About Liquid Friday

Liquid Friday are an umbrella payroll company, based on the South Coast in Portsmouth. Featured in the Fasttrack 100 (Top 100 fastest growing companies) in 2011 and 2012, Liquid Friday were named Fareport Employer of the Year in 2010.

We employ over 2,000 contractors across a variety of sectors all over the UK and are members of the Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA).