Rhys Howe

my story

I first heard about the Glasgow Guarantee from my career advisor whilst I was still at school. I always knew that I wanted to undertake a modern apprenticeship as going to college or university didn’t appeal to me. I much preferred the idea of being able to do a full time paid job whilst expanding my knowledge and skills at the same time.  So after some research I knew that the Glasgow Guarantee was definitely the right route for me to access and apply for lots of local apprenticeship opportunities.

My school career advisor was fantastic and so supportive with my online application process. We spent one afternoon completing it and I found it really straight forward and easy to understand. Once approved it was actually quite overwhelming to see the amount of diverse modern apprenticeships that were available for me to start applying for. I spent a long time ploughing through them to see what sectors interested me and then started the challenge of completing the application forms – a scary thought to be applying for my first ever job!

making a difference

When I landed an interview for Gateway Shared Services as an MA in their Education work placement team I was really nervous and scared. However, I made sure that I did loads of research before my interview to better understand who they were and what they did - so I could be as prepared as possible. The interview went really well and when I found out later the same day that I had actually got the job I was absolutely ecstatic and felt so proud of myself. The first thing I did was phone my mum to tell her!

Every day in here I feel like I am making a real difference and helping people. My job remit has developed to now also offer support to schools and nurseries with their websites, this is in addition to helping book work placements for school pupils across 9 local authorities. Since I started working my confidence has increased so much. One minute I can go from chatting to a head teacher about their placements, to then supporting a nursery school to develop their website. And as for my IT skills – having just finished my SVQ Level 2 in Business and Administration I now know more software packages and systems than ever.

be part of it

I am really passionate about the route I have taken and am now also an Ambassador for apprenticeships in Scotland with Skills Development Scotland – which my management team put me forward for. I work on delivering key messages to S5 and S6 pupils about the role of a modern apprenticeship and the benefits it can bring. It is a fantastic opportunity for me to spread the word of the Glasgow Guarantee when I attend events or chat on social media.

Learning on the job with my apprenticeship is amazing. I have already encouraged family members to sign up and when I can I spread the word amongst friends who don’t really understand everything you can get out of being part of the programme. For me personally I cannot wait to progress to my digital diploma which is the next part of my learning journey.

I would recommend anyone looking for a job or modern apprenticeship in Glasgow to sign up to the Glasgow Guarantee and become part of what they have to offer – it is a very valuable opportunity for the people of Glasgow and for local businesses too.