Career Advice
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Doing an apprenticeship over 50
Helen Gowing is over 50 and has just completed an apprenticeship in data analytics while working for insurance company Aviva.
Many people think they are too old to retrain when they pass their 50s.
Helen Gowing admits she was terrified of going back to studying, but she did it anyway and the result has not only been a new role, but a renewed motivation and a real sense of achievement.
She had been working at insurance company Aviva for over 30 years, starting as a frontline pensions adviser and working up to leading a whole department in customer operations. “I had been doing people leadership and operations for some time. I started thinking that is all I can do,” she says.
Helen was working on embedding customer measures across departments. The job involved getting people to extract data. It made her realise the importance of analysing data correctly and using it to make evidence-based decisions. Aviva was offering apprenticeships in data analytics.
Initially Helen thought she would never be able to return to learning. “I was so scared. My instinct was so strongly telling me not to do it. I hadn’t done any learning for a long while,” she says, but then she thought about the advice she gave her seven year old daughter about doing things you think you can’t and she realised she needed to live her own advice.
“I thought what is the worst that can happen,” she said. Even after her initial interview for the apprenticeship programme was successful, she felt she was going to be told she couldn’t do it at each stage in the process.
Learning new things
Aviva’s apprenticeships are open to anyone in the company and age is no barrier. Although most people on the programme were young, Helen says there were some other more mature students. The results were a new sense of confidence. “I really enjoyed learning something new and was amazed at what I could do. I had never done coding before so when I wrote my first line of code I had quite a sense of achievement and excitement,” she says.
Helen, who works full time, but flexibly, says her line managers were very supportive and she was able to use 20% of her work time on the apprenticeship. She also had to study for various exams in the evenings and at weekends and says she feels it was good for her daughter to see that adults do exams and can learn new things. Her analytics skills are also likely to come in handy for helping her daughter with her homework.
The apprenticeship lasted 18 months. Helen completed the last element last month. She hopes to stay in touch with her cohort in the future and says meeting people from all over Aviva has given her a new insight into the organisation.
She is very pleased she decided to do the apprenticeship: “It was amazing to step outside my comfort zone and realise I could do more than what I had been doing up til then.”
Moreover, in November she took up a new role as Business Intelligence Lead [Operational Resilience]. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the programme,” she says. “It has given me a growth mindset.”
She adds: “Aviva has no retirement age. You can work as long as you want to. You are never made to feel too old for any opportunity.”
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Comments [9]
Michael Campbell says:
I am 52 and living in Leeds. I would like to be an IT Technician and would like any help please.
Mandy Garner says:
We advertise some apprenticeship positions on workingwise which are available for older workers. If you sign up to our free jobs alert [highlighted on the home page] you will see what is on offer. Also, check https://www.qa.com/apprenticeships/
Tania turner says:
I am 53 and would love to get a new career I use to do input and wages.
Mohammed farooq says:
I am 50 years old & since 2012 have been looking at Payroll apprenticeships in Birmingham but I find that the Dwp only helps 16-24 year olds by fully funding apprenticeships & employers are favouring 16-24 year candidates as they are fully funded where I am not funded & so I have missed out on so many opportunities I am feeling left behind. I do have previous payroll experience but since being made redundant no employers to date have shown any interest. If anyone can help I would appreciate you help if know of any organisations or employers that have payroll apprenticeship opportunities as the staff in jobcentreplus offices have been of no help.
Titi Tolbert says:
I am so glad to hear about Helen. I am 53 and unemployed I would like an apprenticeship as an IT technician. I have not been able to find any for my age. I will appreciate your help.
Darija Kolaric says:
Hello,
I am 52, had moved in UK 3 months ago. I will attend DIP HE distance learning, Human resources course that begins in February 2021. I am interested if there is opportunity for me to do an apprenticeship in HR or Admin alongside my part time, online course. I stil learn intensively to improve my english language skills. I have 26 years work expirience, of which 10 years I spent in managing my own small business that dealt with art and craft activities. In that firm I was the person who was responsible for all admin, direct sales, customer service and HR duties. By moving in UK I realized that for further my career I should to improve my proffesional skills, as for several years I was out of work.
And If yes, I am interested if you can help me to achive that.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kind regards
Darija
Marguerite Goodwin says:
I am 53 years of old i currently work in Asda as a Cash Office Colleague and a Pharmacy Dispenser i would like to be a Pharmacy Technician and wondered if i could do this via an Apprenticeship.
Yours faithfully
M Goodwin
Mandy Garner says:
Dear Marguerite, Many thanks for your question. I will ask one of our careers advisers to get back to you.
Mandy Garner says:
Hi Marguerite,
The best thing is to contact the British Pharmacological Society – https://www.bps.ac.uk/careers-in-pharmacology/bsc-undergraduate/graduate-training-in-pharmacology/apprenticeships