Stephanie’s story
In July 2021, Stephanie told us how she progressed from advisor to supervisor, using her Information, Advice and Guidance Level 4 apprenticeship to gain seniority at work.
My name is Stephanie Lewis. When I started this qualification with TSW I was a Call Centre Advisor for a mental health charity.
The reason I started this course was that I didn’t attend school. I left in year 10 I think and I didn’t have any GCSEs, so it was just nice to have my current employer let me get the qualifications I need.
Has IAG helped you progress?
I have developed within my role since starting the apprenticeship. I’m no longer an Advisor! I now have a Supervisor position within the same contract for mental health.
My development aspirations were always that I wanted to progress within the company and I’ve managed to already get on that ladder. I’m really grateful that TSW was helped me do that with this qualification.
How was your Training Advisor, Jane Oates?
I had a really good relationship with my advisor. She was lovely. It was as if in our sessions we were just having a general chat.
It didn’t feel as though it was in a school setting, where you’ve got the teacher telling you what to do. The conversation flowed and it was a natural relationship, where she was just advising me on things to do and guiding me to better myself. It was really nice.
What does your employer think about your progress?
My managers are all really happy that I’ve done the qualification and that I’ve passed.
They were really eager to get me to complete my last test (which I passed last Friday), just because they’ve seen how much I’ve grown throughout it and they are eager for me to go on to do new things as well.
Has the qualification changed the way you work?
It has changed the way that we look at things. I now look more at researching into organisations that I’m guiding people to contact. I know whether that service is suitable for them because I’ve looked at what they can offer.
How was your apprenticeship experience?
Overall my experience with TSW has been really good. I am really glad that it has ended now and I’ve got that qualification. But I really enjoyed doing it and I would be looking at doing another qualification in future.