AIMEE ORTON – MIRICAL EMBLEMS
Name: Aimee Orton
Apprenticeship programme: Level 3 Business Administrator
Employer: Mirical Emblems
Training Coordinator: Steve Marriage
What stage are you at in your apprenticeship journey?
I have been an apprentice for around 4 months now. I am at a stage where I am proud of the work/course work I have been doing. Doing this apprenticeship has really helped me gain confidence in my personal life and in the work place.
What made you decide to undertake an apprenticeship? How did you come to work in print?
Before I started an apprenticeship I had been in college for a few weeks and quickly realised that it was not for me as I preferer to do hands on work that I can manage in my own time. However, I really want to get my qualifications so an apprenticeship was perfect for me. I happened to get into printing work as where I am now is very close to where I live and I had always wanted to work in an office instead of retail so it was the perfect opportunity for me to work comfortably and work towards getting my qualifications.
Tell us about some of the key knowledge, skills, and behaviours you have developed since starting your apprenticeship.
I have had to learn quite a bit since starting this apprenticeship. Because of my role in the work place I have had to take in a lot of information about different products and customers, the apprenticeship has really helped with this as it has built my confidence a lot and has shown me that as long as I put in the effort I can achieve a lot. With the resources that BPIF has on the skills and careers hub I have been able to learn how to take in this information and how to retain it a lot better.
Tell us about a typical day at work for you.
A typical work day for me consists of; getting the orders ready for the morning e.g. getting style cards out and helping get stock for the orders, doing some of the orders and answering the phones/emailing customers, doing course after my lunch/when others go to lunch, once again helping get more orders ready, going down to the factory if needs be, doing works orders/putting them away and then at the end of the day cleaning my desk ready for the morning.
What’s the most enjoyable part of your apprenticeship?
The most enjoyable part of this apprenticeship for me has honestly got to be the variety of things we get to learn about, this might seem boring to some but for me I genuinely enjoy learning. I have also really enjoyed the people I’ve been able to meet through the apprenticeship, my team has really helped me come out of my shell and Steve (my tutor) is really helpful and has really helped me when I have struggled.
What do you see yourself doing on achievement of your apprenticeship?
Once I have finished this apprenticeship I see myself working/progressing where I am working right now at Mirical Emblems as I really enjoy being here. The team I am in is honestly amazing and I don’t think I could wish for better than this. I enjoy where I am right now but over time I do want to progress and grow with the company.
Would you recommend apprenticeships in the print industry to others, and what would you tell them about the industry?
I would definitely recommend for others to do an apprenticeship in printing as printing businesses, especially where I am, are full of creative people that can help you in a lot of ways. There are also a lot of ways you can progress within printing companies, for example; you could go into graphic design, become a manager/personal assistant, you could go into the customer service sector or the despatch sector and you could even work as a representative that could travel all of the country to speak to the customers.
What do you think are the benefits of undertaking an apprenticeship?
Apprenticeships are extremely effective as not only do they usually have the outcome of some kind of qualification they also provide you with a job/job experience. this is really helpful because if after the apprenticeship if you have outgrown your current company you can always find a different company that will be able to see you have worked in that work field or a similar one and that you have the appropriate qualifications. I really like doing an apprenticeship because it has taught me so much about professional work places and how they work. BPIF Training also give you plenty of time to complete your work without being stressed about balancing course work and your job which I really appreciate.