Apprentice Profile: Ricky Atkins

As part of Apprenticeship Week 2010 we are profiling some of the Apprentices we have working and learning at West Kent College.

Name: Ricky Atkins

Position/title at College: Business Development Apprentice

What does your position involve? Working with Business Development team can involve many tasks which can vary from maintaining records, making sure they are up-to-date on our systems and keeping records of apprentices and their achievements. Mainly I support the training officers that work for Business Development, so there could be any challenge waiting.

Why did you choose an apprenticeship and what benefits will it give you in the future? The reason behind becoming an apprentice was that I wanted to start my career in the hope that it would improve my IT skills, communication skills and give me some experience in an office environment. I soon learnt that I could also gain an NVQ qualification and with that have many skills. The benefits of being an apprentice when moving on in my career is that I have the experience of working in a busy environment and since being an apprentice I have gained and improved my confidence so this can help me in the future.

Why did you choose West Kent College for your apprenticeship? I decided that taking my qualification at West Kent College would bring me many opportunities in the future. West Kent College offered me a position back in March 2009 and since then I have gained a qualification in ITQ and I am now working towards a business qualification. I also knew that West Kent College would support me in any way needed towards my qualification.

What have you learnt since starting your apprenticeship at West Kent College? Since starting my apprenticeship I have gained and learnt many work-related qualifications. I have learnt how to use many Windows Office programs that are used in any computer-based company so in the future this would be very helpful. I have most importantly learnt how to communicate with different age ranges, work within a team and communicate with members of Business Development so we always finish and get the outcomes that we want.

What do you plan to do after your apprenticeship finishes? After my apprenticeship finishes I want to move on to a business management qualification. I hope that I can continue working within West Kent College and continue my career and gain many other qualifications.

My dream job would be? My dream job would be becoming a manager and being an important and well respected individual. I would like to be in charge of a team and give the support to trainees and help them in a career just like West Kent College has done for me.

Thanks Ricky! The next profile will be up tomorrow morning and then we'll showcase another one each day this week. To read more about Apprenticeships at West Kent College look here.