Supporting National Apprenticeship Week 2023

It’s National Apprenticeship Week 2023! A week that brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy. Here at the NEC Group, we want to inspire the next generation of live events professionals and help young people find rewarding jobs.

Below, we speak to Jack, one of our current apprentices, who discusses his thoughts on his cyber security apprenticeship.

What is the full name of your apprenticeship?

Cyber Security Technical Professional

 

Duration and the provider who supports you?

The duration is four years and QA provides the apprenticeship.

 

What does a study day look like?

Typically, the days get started with a half-day workshop provided by a lecturer from the university, then from lunchtime on till the end of the day, I’ll continue some self-lead studies around the topic. The university provides many helpful resources around the module topics so it's easy to stay engaged, cover areas where you don't feel as confident and learn in a way that suits you best.

 

What does a workday look like?

Day-to-day, I work on various security platforms that correlate to different areas of environments. Most of my time is spent on ensuring we are not vulnerable in any way and planning remediations where we are, as well as ensuring we’re always up to date with best practices across the industry. On top of that, I handle security incidents and requests escalated through the IT support function so I’ve always got plenty to do!

 

What's the best part of being an apprentice?

The best thing about being an apprentice is the continuous improvement of your skills and the learning and development that is constantly at play. (The student benefits are nice too!)

 

Are you happy you took the apprenticeship route rather than university or further education college?

Definitely. The style of learning is much more hands-on and gives you space to apply what you have learned in a working environment. Furthermore, for my case in particular, it has allowed me to approach a degree at a later stage in life with more self-discipline and professional experience which has made me more confident to challenge myself with education at a higher level.

 

To find out more about apprenticeships with the NEC Group, visit our careers page.