Meet the Apprentices - Meet Kate Jeffreys, Ipswich Borough Council

Each day during #NAW2020 we will be introducing you to inspirational apprentices and rising stars, working in Local Government in the East of England, who blaze their own trail.

I joined Ipswich Borough Council in August 2019 as a Human Resources Apprentice. I applied for this apprenticeship because I wanted to gain some experience working in a customer-based environment where I would be facing people on a daily basis. After college, I was unsure which course I wanted to study at university, therefore as an alternative I chose to do an apprenticeship.

Before I became a HR apprentice, I was studying three A levels at college (Sociology, Psychology and English Language) with the aspiration of joining the Police Force once my studies were over.

As part of my apprenticeship, I am studying for a level 3 qualification in Business Administration, a qualification that I hope to use in future jobs. I spend one day a week working on my Business Administration course which allows me to get any outstanding work up to date and means that I do not have to study in my spare time.

I believe that an apprenticeship is a perfect way of beginning your career path, especially if you are unsure as to what career you wish to pursue in the future. I liked the idea of an apprenticeship because it enabled me to learn on the job whilst earning an income at the same time.

As a HR apprentice, my role is to support the HR team in their duties (this includes the Payroll Team and the Learning and Development Team). In my normal working day, I mainly assist with administration during the recruitment process and I am responsible for providing a first point of contact for employees and responding to any queries they may have. The best part of my role is interacting with new people every day, over the phone or face to face. I also enjoy how every working day is different for me, each day I am faced with a different task which I find very interesting.

So far, I have found working at Ipswich Borough Council a very positive experience, every member of staff I have worked with has been very supportive and welcoming and I look forward to seeing what the future holds. When speaking to my line manager, she said “It has been lovely having Kate as part of our busy team, she is providing support in a variety of HR related matters and this is proving great support for the team.”

I particularly like how working for Local Government brings along many benefits and opportunities for training and career enhancement. After only six months working for Ipswich Borough Council, many opportunities have already arisen for me such as supporting the Council with their recruitment fairs or even being given the chance to write this article!

For anyone who is considering an apprenticeship role in local government, I would highly encourage it!

Apprenticeships give the opportunity to look beyond traditional routes into employment and allow you to explore a diverse range of career options in local government and beyond. Our #NAW2020 feature provides just a small taster of the true value that an apprenticeship can bring, to both individuals, local authorities and the wider community in the East of England.