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When Katie Wilkinson decided that A Levels weren’t the right path for her, she knew she wanted to take a more practical route into work.
At just 17, Katie started her first apprenticeship with Age UK Gateshead, supported by Access Training. What started as a Business Administration apprenticeship went on to become the beginning of a much bigger career journey.
Katie enjoyed maths at school but found that traditional A Level study wasn’t for her. An apprenticeship offered her the opportunity to gain a qualification while building practical experience in the workplace.
Her first apprenticeship was in Business Administration, where she worked across different areas of Age UK Gateshead.“Working across many departments has been so interesting and really helped me get fully under the skin of the business. No two days have ever been the same and it is that variety that I love so much.”
That experience introduced Katie to different parts of the organisation and helped her discover where she wanted her career to go next.
She went on to complete a Level 3 Social Media and Digital Marketing Apprenticeship before returning to her interest in finance.
During her first apprenticeship, Katie had the opportunity to get involved in some of the organisation’s finance activities. It was through this experience that she realised accountancy could be the career she wanted to pursue.
She began her third apprenticeship, studying for her AAT Level 3 Assistant Accountant qualification while continuing to work at Age UK Gateshead.
Her growing skills and experience led to Katie taking on a new role as Finance Officer, where she was responsible for a range of day-to-day financial activities, including petty cash management, payroll, finance software and budgeting.
For Katie, being able to learn while gaining experience in a real workplace has been an important part of her development.
“Now onto apprenticeship three and I’m on course to fulfil my dream of one day becoming an accountant.”
Katie’s journey demonstrates how an apprenticeship doesn’t have to mean choosing your entire career from day one.
Her first apprenticeship gave her experience across the organisation, her second allowed her to develop her digital and marketing skills, and her third is helping her build the specialist knowledge she needs for a future in accountancy.
Each step has helped Katie understand her strengths, discover what she enjoys and move closer to her long-term career goal.“I feel really lucky that Age UK Gateshead is helping me realise my ambition – it is such a meaningful organisation and one that also really cares about my future development.”
Gateshead-based Access Training provides upskilling courses and apprenticeships in HR, project management, team leading and management, accountancy, business administration, learning & skills teaching, and fire, emergency & security systems.
We have been delivering training programmes for businesses and individuals across the North East for over 40 years. We have a genuine interest in the success of the companies we work with and the people we train, and we aim to provide a personal, bespoke service.