Amy Hawkyard - Degree Apprentice with AstraZeneca Writes about her experience

From Apprentice to Degree Apprentice - Amy earns and learns at AstraZeneca

As someone who only received one A-Level I never imagined I would get the opportunity to go to university, let alone that I would enjoy it. 

As I grew up, I quickly learned that I thrived in the workplace. I had thought about going to university but my confidence was knocked after not performing well in my AS-Levels. So I decided to have a look at other opportunities available to me and thankfully I found an opening at AstraZeneca in the I.T. department as an apprentice. I never thought I would enjoy tech as I came from a Dance background; anything that consisted of sitting at a desk I thought would bore me. However what I have come to learn is that people don’t realise that the Technology Industry is constantly evolving, it never sleeps. There are endless opportunities to learn new things, different pathways to take - this excited and inspired me.

I was successful throughout my application to AstraZeneca and after 2 years in the industry and gaining an NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Business & Administration I was offered the opportunity to apply for university and earn-while-Iearn.

At first, I was terrified at the thought of university as I didn’t know if it would suit me, if I would fail and let people down and so immediately backed away from the idea and flatly said "no". However I then reconsidered, went to Manchester Metropolitan University to hear about the course and came out with a positive attitude and decided to apply. Unfortunately I did not have the required entry grades so as part of my application I had to write an essay about an emerging technology.

I was thrilled when I got accepted onto the course and I have never looked back. Being able to learn the theory and then put it into practice has really helped me understand I.T. more than I ever thought I could and surprisingly I am enjoying the technical aspect of I.T.

For me, the degree apprenticeship is perfect, being able to improve my education, gain a degree in BS (Hons) Digital and Technology Solutions as well as work in a global Pharmaceutical company has made me happier than ever. I am excited to be able to put the skills I have learnt in the past 2 years and the skills I will learn in the next 4 years into practice to further my career in the Technology Industry.

 

Read the original on the Tech Partnership Website here