Apprenticeship focus - Tilly Preston

“The skills I learnt are now embedded into my management style.”

Tilly recently completed her Business Team Leader Level 3 apprenticeship. Since completing her training, she now looks after a team of 19. Tilly tells us about her experience.

Why did you want to start an apprenticeship? 

Before I started working at LV= in 2022, I was a retail manager and really enjoyed the people management side of things. Although I loved my new role at LV=, I really missed the management aspects and day-to-day responsibilities. When I heard about the Team Leader/Supervisor Apprenticeship, I thought it would be a great opportunity to develop my management skills and explore new pathways within LV=. 

What qualities or skills make for a good apprentice? 

You need to be able to manage your time well and understand how to prioritise your workload. You are in charge of your own learning and ensuring that you meet all of your deadlines. You need to be able to keep yourself motivated and organised. 

Describe your average study week.  

Any time I spent studying, researching, or preparing my assignments was within my working hours.

Each week looked different depending on when my deadlines were or if I had any webinar sessions. The average webinar would be two hours long, and I aimed to spend six hours per week completing ‘on-the-job’ training that could be applied to the overall objective of the course. I would spend my time reading, watching videos, or researching different models if I was not working on my portfolios or presentations. 

How will the skills you’ve learnt in your apprenticeship translate into your current role? 

The skills I learnt during the apprenticeship are trained out in a way in which they are now embedded into my management style. I have learnt so much about myself and how I manage, which has allowed me to be more self-aware and adapt my style depending on different situations. 

What doors can an apprenticeship open for you? 

When I started the course, I was a Senior Customer Service Representative, and today I am a Customer Service Team Manager.

I learnt so many valuable skills throughout the 14 months, which I was able to apply to my role and enable me to develop in my career. The on-the-job training allowed me to be involved in new projects and tasks, networking with stakeholders and building new relationships.

What would be your one piece of advice to a new apprentice? 

Stay motivated and organised. Prioritise your time and block out your calendar to ensure you have uninterrupted studying. Keep your calendar up to date with all deadlines and webinar sessions.  

Fancy joining our customer service team here at LV=? Take a look at our current vacancies.