I’m currently completing my Level 3 HR support qualification through the training provider LMP, a recognised provider by The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) the professional body for Human Resources, Learning and Development. The course typically takes 20 months to complete, but it’s quite flexible and allows you to go at your own pace. I’ve got approximately another eight months to go before I sit my end point assessment.
Before I joined Dixons, I worked at a law firm in the employment and litigation teams for ten years. I wanted a career change, so I moved into the HR team here at Dixons. Although I have a lot of knowledge around employment law and procedures, working in HR was new to me – I had never been involved in things like recruitment and onboarding, absence monitoring, retirement, pensions – the integral things that at our HR team deals with on a daily basis, so the apprenticeship is a great way for me to develop more formal knowledge, skills and confidence and enables me to apply this to my role.
The application and onboarding process was fairly easy (although trying to find my GCSE’s from a very long time ago wasn’t!). My line manager and I met with the trainer to find the best course for me and to explore how it would work in the context of my role. The team at LMP were very helpful in reviewing my suitability for the course, helping me get started and tailoring the course to suit my personal needs.
Doing the course has been really useful as I have been able to both apply the knowledge, skills and behaviours learnt from the course to my role and relate it to my work tasks. I have a dedicated trainer at LMP who encourages me to draw upon my working life as much as possible and is available to chat through what’s taking place at work and how best to apply it to the modules in my course. My apprenticeship is providing me with a solid foundation to build on my knowledge and skills, which will help me to develop my career.
My line manager encourages me to take protected time to complete my course work. I've also had the opportunity to get more involved in casework and to get involved with other teams at Dixons to gain experience in other departments. LMP are also a great source of support, I attend regular meetings with my trainer, and they support me in looking at the upcoming tasks and provide support with how to achieve my goals. LMP also host support webinars.
Since starting my apprenticeship, I have gained skills and knowledge that are relevant and pertinent, and I am able to implement these and show the impact of my learning through my current work. I would highly recommend the course to anyone who wants to learn and develop as a professional and gain a recognised qualification that can open doors in the future. It’s great to see that two of my colleagues have signed up for the next intake due to my recommendation.
