Hi – I'm Dan Slaughter. I'm from Cramlington in Newcastle and I work for HMRC within the CDIO Business Tax Project and Programmes at Benton Park View, Newcastle.
I'm 20 now and I started as a Fast Track apprentice on the business pathway in September 2014 and I'll be finishing in July 2016. I completed my A levels at Astley Sixth Form and I left feeling that for me that was enough of the ‘traditional education’ route.
I chose the apprenticeship because I never liked the idea of going to university – it just seemed to be 3 to 4 more years of school and gaining needless debt. And I could see the value of apprenticeships where I could gain work experience, get paid and manage my own learning alongside my work and finish with an HNC and NVQ in business.
This scheme has opened up so many opportunities for me and every working day is different and interesting. I get the opportunity to gain new skills in all areas of my department – it could be from user research, managing stakeholders, financial reports, project planning, etc. I enjoy the flexibility of my job as well and the challenges. And I've found the fact I'm getting paid and learning at the same time motivates me further.
It's a really good stepping stone to a successful career and I plan on moving onwards and upwards within the Civil Service once I finish my apprenticeship!
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