Apprenticeships offer valuable experience to build your skills, gain real-world experience and earn a salary at the same time

Why did you decide to apply for this apprenticeship?

“I loved my job as a speech and language therapy assistant, but I knew I wanted to be qualified someday. However, traditional university routes presented a significant financial barrier for me, especially having already completed a degree. When the speech and language therapy apprenticeship became available at Sheffield, I knew this was the perfect alternative.

The apprenticeship allows me to gain valuable, practical experience whilst I earn a salary, making it a much more financially realistic path. The structured pathway and clear career progression aligns with my personal learning style and allows me to grow as a professional.

Leah Young

What is one of the most rewarding aspects of being an apprentice?

“I would say the most rewarding aspect of being an apprentice is the opportunity to directly influence patients' lives whilst I continue to pursue my education. It has been helpful to apply the knowledge learnt from university lectures to real scenarios and see how speech therapists can have such important impacts on communication and quality of life.”

What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced, and how have you overcome this?

“I think so far the biggest challenge for me has been understanding the difference between the assistant post and an apprentice. I was in the fortunate position to stay in my workplace after successfully securing the apprenticeship, however, it has been difficult to learn new responsibilities and to explain to other members of staff my change in role. This initially led to some confusion. To overcome this, I continue to ask my clinical mentor questions in supervisions to understand these nuanced differences. It is still a learning curve, however I still continue to love my job.”

How is this apprenticeship helping you to develop personally and professionally?

“I've learnt a number of different skills so far. For example, my confidence has improved both within university and in my workplace as my knowledge of speech and language therapy has vastly improved. My clinical skills have also improved, as I now follow a patient through their whole speech and language therapy journey; from initial rapport building sessions, assessment, intervention and administration such as report writing.

“I have also improved my time management and organisational skills in order to deal with the demands of studying, working and having a personal life too.”

How has your role in the workplace changed since starting your apprenticeship?

“As an apprentice, I am on the job three days a week rather than my previous five day week. I then study two days a week off the job. I am technically a student therefore I have to go through several competencies which work through different levels (shadowing-applying independently).

“I hold a smaller caseload which involves seeing a patient through their full assessment, interpretation of assessment and report writing. I also have some opportunities to shadow my clinical mentor to experience new interventions and assessments to continue to grow professionally.”

How are you supported by the University of Sheffield and your employer?

“I have eight weekly tripartite reviews with my clinical mentor (workplace) and my university mentor to discuss my successes, any challenges and what I have learnt so far. These meetings are also a good opportunity to set myself some goals for the next meeting to ensure I am hitting all the relevant competencies and that I am on the right track. In these meetings, I know I am able to ask for help if I need it.

“I also have regular supervisions with my workplace clinical mentor to look at my on-the-job learning and to select a focus for the review period. This has been super helpful.”

What advice would you give to someone considering an apprenticeship?

“Do it! It feels like a really cliche thing to say, but you have nothing to lose and you won't regret it. Apprenticeships offer a valuable experience to build your skills, gain real-world experience and earn a salary at the same time. The support I have received has been incredible by both the university and my workplace.”