My name is Rachel Layton, I’m 20 years old and I’m from Evesham, Worcestershire. I completed my level 2 customer service practitioner apprenticeship in March with online fundraising platform Give as you Live. After my 18-month course, I achieved a distinction overall.

As a customer service assistant, I manage our day-to-day communication with our users and charities, answering queries, solving problems and providing information. We work with many charities and community interest companies so I also provide information about our products and services to help them promote fundraising via Give as you Live to their supporters. I also do some basic admin work to support all other departments, such as our technical team.

Background: Minister backs #InspiringApprentices campaign

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Missing exams due to illness

I absolutely love my job and the roles I am given. I find the role really rewarding and no two days are the same.

The career advice at my high school was very restricted and apprenticeship advice was very limited. Many of the teachers focused on A levels and university as a goal for all students after their GCSEs. I became unwell during my GCSEs and spent a large amount of time in and out of hospital.

Unfortunately, this meant I missed a lot of the exams leaving me with just four GCSEs. I had been given the opportunity by my high school to stay on at the sixth form to study A levels. Having four GCSEs made me feel like I had no options post-GCSEs. I wish I had known more about apprenticeships at the time.

After completing my AS levels, I decided sixth form wasn’t the right option for me, I went on to complete a health and social care course at college, followed by a full-time job as a healthcare assistant for four months.

Treated with respect

During my time as a healthcare assistant, I became unwell again and had to leave my job. Determined to build a career, I decided to search for an apprenticeship - something office-based - and eventually applied for a customer service apprenticeship here at Give as you Live.

Has it lived up to my expectations? Absolutely! As an apprentice, I was treated with respect and just like anyone else on the team. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to cope with the workload of my role plus college work. However, the apprenticeship helped me to deal with time management and organisation, something I had never been good at in my school days.

Almost all my friends have gone to university and are struggling financially. I have a few friends in the academic year above who have left university with a full degree but are struggling to find a job owing to lack of experience. My older brother went to university and is always shocked at how much I’ve learned while doing an apprenticeship.

Family reactions

When signing up to an apprenticeship, I was worried about how my family would react as they had expectations that I would follow in my brother’s footsteps and go to university. However, they reacted really well. They have always seen me as more hands-on than my academic siblings. Hearing my family’s advice and kind words really reassured me that an apprenticeship was the best route for me. I think it’s important that family and friends support young people in their next-step decisions.

As a result of my apprenticeship, I have been offered a full-time role with Give as you Live as a customer service assistant. Despite my becoming unwell midway through my apprenticeship and undergoing two large operations during the 18-month course, the company has been very supportive. This has allowed me to continue building on personal goals such as confidence and how to deal with challenging situations.

As an apprentice, you are constantly setting goals and targets - these are mainly personal and can constantly be built on. I have also joined the Young Apprentice Ambassador Network in the West Midlands. This allows me to share my story and encourage others to follow my apprenticeship path.

I would recommend an apprenticeship to a young person without a doubt. Young people want to earn money but also want to fit in a social life while achieving qualifications. An apprenticeship covers all these areas. As an apprentice, I had a routine: I worked five days a week and, within this, I was given time to study and achieve a qualification, all while earning a wage. Having been through various post-GCSE options, I’ve found that choosing an apprenticeship has been the best decision. I wish I’d followed this route sooner.

I would advise a young person interested in an apprenticeship to ask as many questions as possible, no matter how big or small they may seem. I didn’t think it would be possible for me to be in the position I’m in now, owing to my health, but it just goes to prove that there are apprenticeships out there for everyone. It also very important to go for an apprenticeship you’re interested in, something that you’re excited to wake up in the morning for. It will make the journey a million times better if you enjoy what you do.

An apprenticeship isn’t just about the qualification or the money - you are constantly learning new things about the working world and being given opportunities to make yourself a better version of you.

Rachel Layton completed her level 2 customer service practitioner apprenticeship with online fundraising platform Give as you Live in March. She tells her story as part of the Tes #InspiringApprentices campaign