Richard Turay is one of our dedicated Moving on Up Ambassadors. He has been vocal about opportunities for young Black men, and played a key part in our recent Moving on Up Awards to recognise those who inspire other young Black men to pursue their career ambitions. In this guest blog, he shares his experience of apprenticeships with the hopes it’ll help young men like himself.
I am currently on a 5-year audit apprenticeship programme with KPMG, where I will be studying towards the AAT and ACA qualifications and hopefully becoming a chartered accountant at the end of it.
It has been quite the learning curve after attending my induction week in October 2023. I went through my first AAT course in two weeks and tested on it a month later.
A highlight so far has been working with a massive FTSE 100 client and went through my first busy season, which has been an intense but rewarding experience so far.
Reflections on apprenticeships
I have a positive view of apprenticeships. The idea of getting paid to complete qualifications is brilliant. Once you’re qualified, you’re able to leverage your experience and qualifications in the job market and be in a good position, as you have no debt from your studies.
Furthermore, I believe that apprenticeships can help bridge the current skills gap and can be used as a tool for social mobility. My employer, KPMG, has made major strides to use student programmes such as the apprenticeship programme to bring out social mobility. KPMG is the only business to be ranked in the top 5 of the Social Mobility Employer Index (SMEI) since it started in 2017.
Challenges with apprenticeships
Many underestimate the difficulty of Level 6/7 apprenticeships; balancing work and study is a skill you must be able to master, and the qualifications are no easy ride as well and require time and effort to go through. Furthermore, the straight jump from school to the corporate world can be challenging; for example, adjusting to working 9-5 and working with people who are more experienced than you can often bring about imposter syndrome as an 18-year-old.
Read up on what imposter syndrome is and ways to work through it
Dealing with challenges
Firstly, the most important thing was constantly asking questions and reaching out for help.
As a new joiner, you’re not meant to know everything, and doing this has led to more clarification and less stress for me. Secondly, I’ve learnt how important it is to take initiative and come out of your comfort zone. I made the effort to go to social events to meet and interact with people to build a network and a great group of friends. I joined the newsletter society in my department, which has been a fun experience as it has enabled me to speak to a lot of different team members, from more experienced apprentices to Senior Managers. Lastly, planning has been key. It is essential that you leave enough time for your studies and training, as it is often the case that you have limited study time and a deadline for training.
Employers and outreach to young black men
Apprenticeships are competitive, and some apprenticeships can be harder to get into than getting into a top Russell Group university. Due to the competition, you’re expected to have good knowledge about the application process, for example, having a good CV, knowing how to conduct an interview, how to act in an assessment centre, and how to do psychometric tests provided. Make sure you are familiar with all of these.
For employers to improve outcomes for young Black men and other ethnic minorities in general, it is important to find ways for these types of programmes to be known. There has been an effort with social mobility organisations such as The Brokerage, Uptree, and Young Professionals, which provide insight days at financial services and law firms, etc., and provide application help with interviews and tests. However, more needs to be done to make existing opportunities and support systems more visible.
Communication is also key; if it were not for my sixth form and organisations like the Black Young Professionals, I would never have known that Level 6/7 apprenticeships existed! Sixth-form schools and colleges must make the effort to work with social mobility organisations to ensure these opportunities reach the awareness of young Black men.
Author: Richard Turay, a Moving on Up Ambassador
If you’d like to find out more about apprenticeships, or where to find career support, then check out the following resources and sites:
