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Last week, 2nd-6th March was Modern Apprenticeship Week so we decided to shine the spotlight on Waverton’s first ever apprentice, Harry Barclay who is signed up to the Modern Apprenticeship Scheme in Scotland.
We asked Harry a few questions about his role at Waverton and we hope you enjoy this brief insight into day-to-day life at Waverton!
Please tell us a little about yourself…
My Name is Harry Barclay, I am eighteen years old and I live in Livingston in West Lothian. I have lived in Livingston for my whole life and attended St Margaret’s Academy where I graduated in the summer of 2019. Since then, I have been working with Waverton for a little over 6 months as their first modern apprentice. I am currently working towards my business and administration qualification.
Why did you choose an apprenticeship with Waverton?
I felt that Waverton was a fantastic company and offered me an opportunity that was too good to say no to. I was enticed by the allure of a company in the heart of Edinburgh that preached honesty, integrity and expertise. I have more than enjoyed my short 6 month spell at Waverton and cannot wait to continue to work with such a welcoming and talented group of colleagues, as well as learning new skills and be the best I can possibly be.
What is a typical day like for you?
There is no such thing as a typical day in my job. Every day I am challenged by new tasks and new goals to reach. This makes me excited to come into the office so I can be pleasantly surprised by the challenges I must conquer on that. It is a difficult but rewarding job. This variation of tasks means every day is different and I relish the challenge of taking on new tasks and this keeps my day to day work exciting and my mind engaged.
What training are you doing for your apprenticeship and what do you hope to achieve by the end of it?
I am currently working towards my Business and Administration level 6 qualification. I am close to gaining the qualification and I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge it is bringing as I feel the skills I have learnt have been beneficial to my current role as an administrator. I hope to gain the qualification in the near future and continue to build from this one to progress to a higher level and tackle a new challenge.
What advice would you give to a new apprentice moving into full time work?
The advice I would give to an apprentice moving into full time work is to work hard and embrace the change of working full time. It can be difficult to adapt to the change in work ethic and of coming to work everyday but is a job that is rewarding as I learn many new skills everyday and has been highly beneficial to me.
We are very grateful to have Harry with us in the Edinburgh office and we’re proud to be working with a young person who has such enthusiasm and is so keen to do a good job!
