Billy started his career as an apprentice with Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in 2015 and recently won the Apprentice of the Year 2016 award at the South London Innovation and Diffusion Awards. The award recognised Billy’s hard work and determination on the apprenticeship programme.
Billy says, “I had always wanted to pursue a career within business but had always found that all the companies I would apply to would all want the same thing… experience. That’s when I decided that the best route for me to take would be an apprenticeship and I can honestly say it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
I originally applied for my job through an agency set up by my local council. Once my CV had been shortlisted, I was then invited to an initial interview at Hawk Training. I was then called back for another 2 interviews before being selected for my role. I have never experienced a 3 stage interview before and I must say I was impressed with the recruitment process.
During my apprenticeship, I received unbelievable support from everyone at Hawk, from senior members of staff to day tutors, and also from every member of staff within my department at Guy’s & St Thomas’. I was recruited as part of a cohort and each and every one of the apprentices that were in my cohort have done an outstanding job of supporting each other when times were tough. We all pitched in when it came to the coursework and supported each other on study days. Since completing my apprenticeship, I have been invited to various seminars and talks around my workplace and at other venues in London to give guidance and support to new apprentices in and outside of the trust.
Over the course of the year I have won 2 awards - Acting with Integrity and Apprentice of the Year 2016. Winning the Apprentice of the Year award was a great honour and the award ceremony night is one that will stay in my memory for a very long time. It was a great evening of networking which made me feel very proud to have so many senior and trusted members of staff congratulate me on my achievement. I have my award on my mantelpiece at home and it is by far one of my greatest achievements to date. Another highlight during my apprenticeship was when I was selected to represent Guy’s & St Thomas’ on a visit to 10 Downing Street during National Apprenticeship Week 2016 which was a great honour.
I like to think that over the course of the past year, I have become a key member of my team within the Nuclear Medicine department. For me personally I’ve enjoyed every second of my time within the NHS. It is really satisfying knowing that by doing your job that you will be helping hundreds if not thousands of patients over your time with the Trust. I take great pride in telling friends and family what I do for a living and take great satisfaction in meeting and greeting patients every day. Although not every day will be easy, and some can be extremely busy, you should always take into account that everything you’ve done today can help benefit a lot of people and even potentially save lives. I think it’s always a good idea to keep that in mind”