It’s National Apprenticeship Week 2026 and today is Apprentice Wednesday – a perfect chance to put the spotlight where it belongs: on the learners themselves.
We asked two of our apprentices to share how their programme has shaped their skills, confidence and contribution at work — and their answers reflect a powerful learning journey that delivers real, lasting impact – for them, their teams and their employers. You can read their fascinating and wide-ranging interviews below!
Thank you both so much for taking the time to speak about your apprenticeship experience! Introduce yourself and tell us a little about your role?
I’m Dawn, I’m a Manager in Northumbrian Water’s Billing Strategy & Integrity Team. I manage a team of advisors to carry out designated tasks using LW system to ensure the customer bills are correct.
My name’s Shauna, I’m an HR Advisor at Sovereign Network Group. I advise and coach managers in formal employee relation cases and team challenges, applying policies and supporting employees understanding of policies and procedures.
What was the experience like of being an Eliesha apprentice?
Dawn: “I enjoyed the experience and feel I gained a lot of insight into who I am as a manager and how I could build upon my strengths to become better.
“I was fully supported by all of the Elisha team and felt they were in my corner each step of the way.“
Shauna: “Being an apprentice with Eliesha was enjoyable and very well supported. My tutor and Eliesha were proactive with support, understanding of the challenges of being a learner with a full time role and conflicting priorities – they kept in touch often enough to keep me on track but not be too overwhelming.
“The group, even though remote classes, were supportive and friendly! It was encouraging and reassuring in knowing that so many people felt connected as a team to help each other out and share tips from their professional expertise and learner experience. The curriculum was curated to be a continual development of learning from each module making it easier to embed the learning in my day to day work.“
What particular skills or behaviours do you think you’ve developed most since starting?
Dawn: “My negotiating skills have improved, I am far more able to deal with challenging and difficult behaviours using the techniques learned.
“Being organised and using strategies such as planning my days in my Outlook calendar has been extremely useful – my team has benefitted from these changes too.“
Shauna: “My understanding of the importance to delegate, how to do it effectively to develop others and improve my own workload management have developed the most since starting.
“Recognising that I was able to share knowledge while delegating and still remain accountable for work helped me develop team members and empower those who needed to feel safe to try things out of their comfort zone.“
In what work situations do you now feel more confident?
Dawn: I feel more confident leading my team, being able to stand in front of them and discuss topics with feeling like I have imposter syndrome. I am confident in my role and know that I have a great deal to offer and support the team to recognise their strengths and motivate them when they may need improvement.
Shauna: I feel much more confident in assisting managers who are working to resolve conflict in their teams, particularly teams spread over a large geographical area. This has helped me work to assist informal employee relation cases and consider ways to improve working relationships colleagues of levels of seniority.
Can you share an example of your apprenticeship helping you to solve a real workplace problem or challenge?
Dawn: “My ‘Robotics Project’ – prior to this there was a need for advisors to undertake menial data entry tasks which were time consuming, demotivating and more often than not led to job dissatisfaction.
“I used the opportunity to review work that could be completed via automation, set up the business case which was approved by my manager and other stakeholders. I then built the project team and managed the interactions across a number of months successfully bringing in the project on time and on budget.
“We now have two automated processes that saved over 720 working hours between them in in 2025 – the team are happier and able to undertake more complex work, which has meant an increase in employee satisfaction scores too.“
Shauna: “A manager had requested assistance to support a member of their team who had recently been diagnosed with ADHD.
“In querying how their diagnosis affects the individual, I recognised the majority of their concerns were about time management, workload management and task prioritisation. I was able to share lots of suggestions for models/techniques to support this proactively before signposting to an Occupational Health referral, which meant support was available much quicker for both the employee and manager.
“I also was confident sharing feedback to the manager that they could do more in their role to manage their team member rather than rely on Occupational Health – so signposted a variety of resources to upskill themselves for future reference too.“
What surprised you most about your apprenticeship?
Dawn: “I was surprised at how much help and support there is available, and the quality of the learning materials provided. This enhanced my overall learning experience, and I was able to build the knowledge and skills needed to enable me to pass.“
Shauna: “I was worried about the “off-the-job” hours but I recognised early it’s easy to take the learning and apply small things to my day to day to demonstrate these hours – I did a lot more than needed because I was able to identify alignment with a lot of my learning with key tasks in the workplace.
“It was also refreshing how many people were happy to be involved in my journey, like senior managers talking to me about business strategy and colleagues trusting me to coach them.“
What would you describe as the stand out moments from your apprenticeship?
Dawn: “Undertaking the ‘Robotics Project’ helped me to understand the complexities of working with multiple teams across different businesses and how individual perceptions can impact on the way messages were communicated.
“Understanding a ‘critical path’ was key to being able to bring the project in successfully, and to enable me as the project manager to share the required steps needed. I learned that I am capable of managing different teams and bringing them together for a shared purpose.
Shauna: “Getting a distinction in my end point assessment was the highlight of my apprenticeship. I was elated to see the hard work pay off at the end and know the learning was making me a better people manager and understand myself better to navigate challenges in work and my personal life.“
What would you say to someone who is ‘on the fence’ about starting a leadership apprenticeship?
Dawn: “Please give it a go. Learning and development is fun, you will find so many useful hints, tips and strategies – some of which you will continue to use long after you finish the apprenticeship. You will grow in confidence, and you will open the door to new opportunities in the future.“
Shauna: “DO IT. There’s nothing to lose and so much to gain. Also… in the world of “cozzy lives” don’t forget to sign up for your student discount membership 😉. Reap the rewards of knowledge and smarter shopping.“
How would you describe yourself as a manager/leader before and after your apprenticeship?
Dawn: Before the apprenticeship I felt like an imposter and did not feel I had the skills to bring out the best in people and certainly not to challenge behaviours.
I am now confident and can easily build rapport with people, sharing knowledge and building their skills and confidence. My aim is to ensure each individual has the opportunity to succeed and to do the best they possibly can, with my continued support.
Shauna: I felt I was a good manager because I was fair, reflective and approachable – I didn’t recognise I needed to do more to put the responsibility on my team members to do more for themselves.
As a leader, I felt I was able to encourage people to work together because of my personality and communication style but since doing my apprenticeship, I am more proficient in analysing my situations and the associated key needs then use tools and techniques to adapt, target and support different audiences for a variety of purposes to achieve my objectives.
My confidence to connect, lead and/ or manage a wide range of people is supported by technical skills I continue to develop.
Would you like to share any further thoughts or reflections?
Dawn: “I feel undertaking this apprenticeship has not only made me a better manager with more insight into human nature, but it has also helped me in all aspects of my life. I am more organised and can have difficult conversations with others not just in the workplace.“
Shauna: “The benefit of applying technical knowledge in real time to real life situations helps to embed the learning. An apprenticeship was the best way for me to learn, I wish I’d done one sooner.“
“Being able to draw out examples of challenges you’ve navigated and keep a good record of putting learning into practice is the best way to celebrate what you’ve done in your apprenticeship so the final step of an end point assessment isn’t an exam – it’s an opportunity to showcase all you have done and reflected on with immense pride.“
A big thank you to Shauna and Dawn for helping us celebrate Apprentice Wednesday by sharing their journeys so thoughtfully. Their insights show the real impact leadership apprenticeships can have on people and organisations alike.
If their stories have prompted you to think differently about leadership development in your organisation, send us an email or fill out the enquiry form below to find out how our leadership apprenticeships could help.