First LDN Salesforce Apprentices Complete Their Apprenticeship!
The very first cohort of LDN Salesforce Apprentices have completed their Salesforce Apprenticeship!
After 18 months of hard work and dedication, we’re incredibly proud of this group of apprentices who have each achieved their apprenticeship and gained several Salesforce certifications.
Having launched over lockdown in 2020, we’re also proud to say that five of the seven LDN Apprentices to complete the apprenticeship are female. This is a trend that has continued, with 48% of current LDN Salesforce Apprentices on the programme being female.
Simon Bozzoli, CEO of LDN Apprenticeships, said:
“Launching our Salesforce Apprenticeship programmes was a lockdown project for the team at LDN Apprenticeships. The programme represents everything we believe in as an organisation. Innovation, agility and most importantly, creating incredible opportunities for diverse talent to realise their potential.
Seeing this first cohort of apprentices graduate from our Salesforce programme is a very proud and exciting moment for us. These young people have spent the last 18 months immersing themselves in the Salesforce ecosystem, and they are now fully fledged consultants delivering real projects for their employers and real value for organisations on their digital transformation journeys.
I’m especially proud of the diversity within this first group of graduates. Five of the seven are young women and four of the group are from underrepresented backgrounds. I’m so excited to see what the future has in store for these amazing young talents.”
To celebrate the good news, we caught up with recent LDN graduates - Ayse, Chloe, Destiny, Mo, Matthew & Zoe to reflect on their journey as Salesforce Apprentices.
How does it feel now that you’ve successfully completed the apprenticeship?
Ayse - Completing the apprenticeship with LDN has allowed me to reflect on all of the things I learnt over the past year and a half. I have greatly benefitted from my time with both LDN and Westbrook as I was able to rapidly develop in a professional environment.
Chloe - Now that I have finished my 18-month apprenticeship I feel extremely proud of myself because I have now entered a career which is completely different from my degree. This just shows that I am adaptable and skilful, that I can try something new and be successful in doing so.
Destiny - I am very happy to have successfully completed my apprenticeship. I have achieved so much within the 15 months of my apprenticeship from getting my certs, getting apprentice of the month, getting recognition from clients etc...
Mo - It feels great to finally finish the apprenticeship and focus on the next phase of my career and continue to build my qualifications in the Salesforce space.
Matthew - It feels like I've just completed a major step in my career, it’s really satisfying to no longer have apprentice next to my job title for the very first time since I started working!
Olivia - Completing my apprenticeship has been bittersweet. During the last eighteen months I have seen myself grow from an inexperienced university graduate with no idea of what to do in life, to someone doing a job they love in the tech industry.
Zoe - My time as a Business Analysis apprentice whilst using Salesforce has been eye-opening and the exposure I have had to Salesforce projects whilst working at Pracedo has been incredible.
How has the apprenticeship helped to develop your career in Salesforce?
Ayse - The apprenticeship programme - with the monthly live sessions and teaching material, combined with the on-the-job experience enabled me to broaden my knowledge of not only business analyst related competencies but strengthen my Salesforce knowledge to complement my role.
Having completed my apprenticeship, I have obtained the BCS Level 4 BA qualification with LDN and three Salesforce certifications - Salesforce Administrator, Sales Cloud and Service Cloud.
Chloe - Working at Digital Catapult has been great because it exposed me to a working environment and how business analyst techniques are used in the real world. I was also able to work within a small team which meant that I had the freedom to learn immensely from my manager.
Digital Catapult has been supportive in helping me understand where I want to be in the next five years and have provided me with a strong foundation to be ready for any challenge I face during my career.
Destiny - Westbrook has been very supportive from the start in terms of upskilling; exposing me to different aspects of Salesforce and other roles to help me become a well-rounded consultant.
The apprenticeship was a good way to start my career as it helped me get my foot into the door of the Salesforce ecosystem and I was also able to develop my soft/hard skills in a less pressured environment. I have gained so much confidence because of that and I have been able to identify my next career steps.
Mo - LDN provided me with an opportunity and job in the Salesforce ecosystem which has allowed me to learn, build and become a qualified Salesforce Administrator with almost three years experience, ready to tackle the next phase of my career.
Matthew - Pracedo, alongside the mentoring I received from LDN, has helped me develop a skillset that I can take with me everywhere in life.
Being given the task to implement complex requirements into Salesforce has improved my technical skills. Each time I presented, I gained more and more confidence to the point where I can comfortably lead an end-to-end demonstration of multiple business processes in Salesforce to a room full of end users. Something that two years ago, I could have never imagined myself doing!
Olivia - My job at Pracedo involves a lot of communication with my colleagues and clients, which is a skill that I’ve developed whilst undertaking my apprenticeship at LDN. This was not only through the course material but also through the interactions I had with my Skills Coach and classmates. I felt like this helped me understand my job role much more.
My Skills Coach was patient, insightful, and helped me work towards my final assessment.
Zoe - I have developed vital knowledge and understanding which without a doubt will help me to continue developing my career in tech. Due to me having no previous background in technology, gaining a job in the industry would have been much harder to achieve without the Salesforce Apprenticeship. I am really grateful for the opportunity this has given me.
Working closely with the first cohort for the last 18 months was Lead Technical LDN Skills Coach, Kevin Brown. Delivering industry-focused workshops and offering one-to-one support, Kevin has witnessed each apprentice grow from strength to strength since they joined the programme back in 2020.
Kevin Brown, Lead Technical LDN Skills Coach, said:
“I am proud to see what they have achieved in a short period of time. In their respective roles, they were challenged and succeeded in achieving the Salesforce Level 4 apprenticeship.
In each of their circumstances, they have effectively accelerated their careers and without being on the programme, they would not have been directed to a strong start in their respective careers. It has been a privilege to work with them and seeing them flourish as a Salesforce Consultant and beyond.”
We all know that being an apprentice is no easy ride! So, what advice does the first cohort have for anyone considering starting a Salesforce apprenticeship?
Ayse – Don’t be afraid of unfamiliar and new concepts and/or skills. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, ask questions, learn from your environment and the people around you, and most importantly have fun!
Chloe - Research how the new skills you're learning in your apprenticeship will help you become more employable in the future. Focus on becoming experts in areas which are in demand in the current job market which will make this experience even more useful to you in the future.
Destiny - Really take this time to explore everything within your role/company whilst you're doing your apprenticeship. Ask for feedback from your colleagues and peers to identify your strengths and weaknesses, this will help with your growth!
Lastly, ask your colleagues loads of questions. Whether it be based on your role, their career paths or advice, you can get some useful tips and hints to get to your destination faster.
Mo - Get the work done, set a schedule, and don’t let it build up! Focus on getting your Salesforce qualification complete to ease the workload, use Trailheads, Focus on Force and Udemy to help you study and practise for the exam.
Never hesitate to ask your Skills Coach or learners like me who have already completed for advice or tips. We are all here to help each other!
Matthew - Take every single chance that you can to learn from those around you, be a sponge! I wouldn't be where I am today without the help, knowledge, and support of my colleagues. Don't be afraid to ask for their help, there's never a time they won't be busy.
Olivia - Support each other - nurturing your relationships with your peers and colleagues will only serve you well. You’ll make friends and foster connections which might help you in the future.
Zoe - For anyone looking to get into the world of tech but has no previous experience, an apprenticeship is a great way to get your foot in the door whilst gaining a new qualification and I would recommend this. Just be sure to balance your time!
With many more Salesforce apprentices set to complete over the next few months, we're delighted to announce there will be a graduation ceremony hosted at the Salesforce Towers in August! Keep your eyes peeled for live updates regarding this event across our LDN social channels.
For more information about the LDN’s Salesforce Apprenticeship programmes, click here.
To get in contact with the LDN team to enquire about hiring an LDN Salesforce Apprentice, click here.