Q & A with Tom Bailey

We talk to Thomas Bailey, 20, who is the web development lead at Wing Mirror Man about his experiences of completing an apprenticeship. 

Why did you choose an apprenticeship versus going to university? 

I wanted to earn. I like to earn whilst I learn. I decided to do the apprenticeship because I was interested in the course associated with the apprenticeship and I knew I would enjoy the course. It was in digital marketing and was a NVQ Level 3. Interestingly, whilst I was at school and Sixth Form college there was very little information about apprenticeships. Both school and Sixth Form college wanted to talk about opportunities to go to university most of the time but I never really felt I wanted to go to university. Even at 16 I wanted to do an apprenticeship and tried to start one. However, that fell through and I ended up doing two years of A Levels which I didn't particularly enjoy but I felt that it was at least a qualification that I ended up achieving well in.

What are you doing now?

I am the web development lead for Wing Mirror Man. That involves updating the website on a daily basis with all new products and editing existing products in order to make it easy for customers to find the product and the parts that they are looking for. We have almost 28,000 products on the Wing Mirror Man website and several thousand products on the other websites for headlamps and window regulators, so this keeps me very busy. However, I have also been involved in the redevelopment of the Wing Mirror Man website, which has just been relaunched, and this has some exciting new functionality to help customers find the parts they are looking for and pay for those parts much more easily than previously.  I am also now responsible for liaising with our external marketing consultant and our external web developers. Very recently, I was asked to be involved in attending a recent jobs fair in Bury in order to talk to potential new apprentices about the opportunities that Wing Mirror Man can provide young people.

How has your role progressed from that during your apprenticeship?

My role at Wing Mirror Man is progressing all the time. At the core I am responsible for the maintenance and updating of three websites, specifically all the 30,000+ products, information and images. However, I am being asked to get involved in other aspects of the running of the business. I see my role not just as a job but as a potential career. The owners of the business are actively encouraging me to have a say about more things, which I am enjoying. As part of my apprenticeship and gaining the NVQ Level 3 in digital marketing I was also awarded a nationally-recognised qualification called RITTech which stands for the registration for IT technicians and I am also a member of the British Chartered Institute of IT technicians. Both of these abbreviations I can put on my email signature.

What did you like about your apprenticeship?

The main thing I enjoyed about the apprenticeship was that I was earning whilst I was learning. I enjoyed spending the money that I had earned including buying myself a new BMW car. Had I gone to university I probably would not have been able to buy the car and I would have over 3 or 4 years accumulated considerable debt in student loans and the cost of living away. What I also enjoyed about the apprenticeship was the course. The majority of the course was very good.  I didn’t feel that one or two aspects of it at the time would be very valuable. However, I have subsequently used some of that information in my current role, for example, coding parts of the website, so I’m glad I did those aspects.

What didn’t you like about your apprenticeship?

There was not a lot that I did not enjoy in my apprenticeship. Perhaps the course could have been shorter or could have been completed in a shorter amount of time. It took 2 years to complete but at times it felt like it could have been completed earlier. I’ve always enjoyed what I’m doing at Wing Mirror Man, though. 

Do you have any regrets about going to university?

No. I do not have any regrets about not going to university. Yes, I accept that if I had gone to university I would have probably moved to a different place and perhaps learnt to live more independently rather than at present continuing to live at home. However, I can't cook and I don't enjoy cooking and so that may have been a challenge and something that I would have had to learn to do!

Do you have any regrets about doing an apprenticeship?

No. I do not have any regrets about doing an apprenticeship. In fact, quite the opposite. It is possible to do an NVQ Level 4 qualification which is the equivalent of a university degree without it costing an apprentice anything - unlike going to university to get a degree! Perhaps my only observation about doing an apprenticeship is that completing an NVQ Level 3 qualification is only on a par with an A-level. So, in fact, I only gained an extra A Level (on top of those that I gained at Sixth Form) by doing an NVQ Level 3 rather than doing an NVQ Level 4 qualification which is degree-level and would have felt a progression on sixth form college. (Apprentices should contact a training provider to discuss if they offer an NVQ Level 4 as many apprenticeships usually involve an NVQ Level 3 - at least initially).

What are the current apprenticeship vacancies at Wing Mirror?

There are three opportunities currently for apprentices at Wing romance. There are two business administration apprenticeships and one customer support and service apprenticeship. The latter is dealing directly with customers on a daily basis taking orders, giving advice about products and parts and following up on enquiries by email. The former involves working with suppliers and ordering parts and analysing spreadsheets. Both opportunities involve an NVQ Level 3 qualification. However, if applicants already have a training provider which offers an NVQ Level 4 qualification, the company will support apprentices to do that. As far as wages go, apprentices in the first-year earn a minimum wage of £4.81 an hour. In the second year, depending on age, that goes up £6.83 an hour for 18 to 21 year olds, £9.18 an hour for 21 to 22 year olds, and after 22, to the national minimum wage of £9.50 although some employees may then decide to pay more depending on performance and other factors.

Why would you encourage someone to apply for an apprenticeship at Wing Mirror Man?

I would very much encourage people of my age to apply for an apprenticeship at Wing Mirror Man. It's a very relaxed but busy working environment. People can get lots of experience whilst gaining a nationally recognised qualification. The company has had lots of experience in employing apprentices over the years and provides lots of support to apprentices.

What else would you like to say about apprenticeships generally and why young people should consider them as well as considering university?

I would recommend that people at 18 consider apprentices as well as thinking about going to university. By doing an apprenticeship you can earn whilst you learn  and gain a nationally-recognised qualification (usually NVQ Level 3). However, you are then able to go on to do an NVQ Level 4 without it costing you the best part of £30,000 in student tuition fees. You will also save on living costs that you would incur if you do a degree as you will be earning during your apprenticeship and probably living at home. I appreciate that for many people university is an opportunity to become more independent and move away from home but I believe that unless people do a degree which improves their job and career prospects and not all degrees do that it can be a very expensive 3 years for many graduates. I accept that people have to weigh up the pros and cons of both apprenticeships and doing a degree both in the short-term and the long-term and decide what's best for them. But, in my experience, I have no regrets about doing an apprenticeship and see no benefit at this stage in not having done a degree. I may consider doing an NVQ Level 4 in the near future as it would not cost me anything to do. Likewise, I may  consider a degree from The Open University at some point in the future, although, of course, there would be the need for a student loan for that course.