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Accounting apprenticeship at Sutton Coldfield College - my experience so far

 


Hello, my name is Shakeal and I am currently studying an Accounting apprenticeship at Sutton Coldfield College.


On my first day of starting my apprenticeship on the 28th September 2020, I was nervous, but at the same time I was elated to make a further step within my career. From the minute I stepped foot inside the office I was greeted by the team with a warm welcome and I felt as if I already belonged within the team which helped me relax instead of worrying and being sceptical.


Being introduced to the team was a blast! Every member of the team had charisma and heart and you could tell that they were happy within themselves and the workplace which was really settling. As I proceeded onto the introduction and was shown the different types of technical software that Grant Mcknight use, at first was a little bit of a struggle as my impression of accountants was tons of paper, whereas at Grant Mcknight, it’s completely paperless organisation which is actually amazing, as time went on I picked up navigating and using these software systems hastily.


The following week, I noticed within myself that my skills were rapidly improving as well as the team providing constant feedback giving praise and encouragement where due, as well as giving me more tips to improve the use of different software, as the team started to introduce me into their day to day work. This meant I was getting familiar with the onboarding process meaning I was carrying out onboarding clients, anti-money laundering checks, risk assessments.


The third week was an even better experience as I was pretty confident on my basic skills of the software provided and I began to show signs of working independently and also within the third week I had my first call to a client, before the call I was very apprehensive about doing it and extremely nervous but with a bit of encouragement from the team I faced the challenge head on and smashed it! I felt proud of myself for taking that step and had amazing feedback from the team, following that call I had built up the confidence to call more clients and eventually I had no problem at all with calling clients.


The following week I evidently picked up the onboarding process really quick as I was moved up and ran my first payroll for a business, and within doing this I felt as an important member of the team creating a payroll as this is one of the most important things for a business to provide because employees of a business rely on this money for their well being, and being taught about the furlough scheme and time sheets and alot more really deepened my knowledge on what’s to come, and I had been given the responsibility of a weekly email for Sutton Business Connections which goes out to over 250 separate businesses.


As time went on, I became very familiar with the team and working together which is amazing in a business, to create a bond with the team helps improve work style and work ethic which helps people progress forward, and as due to that and my hard work I am now helping prepare and process tax returns and working alongside the accountants which for me is a great achievement.


My overall experience so far at Grant Mcknight has been priceless, to be able to learn from such amazing people who have a ton of experience and knowledge to give, and i’m sure I will learn a lot more, but most definitely i will use these skills in not just work but also in day to day life and to help further my career.

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