We are delighted to share with you a blog piece from one of our 200 apprentices across OCL. Levy Dalin shares with you his reasons for choosing this route, and why learning and earning was the right choice for him.

Every summer, thousands of teenagers across the UK are preparing themselves for their next steps. Whilst some decide to go onto further institutionalised education, others may other may decide to enter the world of work, or even take a gap year to figure their future out. The combination of learning whilst making money is becoming more and more popular, giving them an opportunity to ‘earn while they learn.’ This, including many other beneficial factors, helped me come to a conclusion that an apprenticeship was the best option for me.

When you’re an apprentice:

• you get offered a salary while training at the same time, with at least 20% of your time spent training, often at a college or with a training provider
• you train to gain a fully rounded experienced in your chosen occupation
• you’re on a career path, with lots of future potential ahead of you

Before my apprenticeship, I studied A-levels, but unlike a lot of people I had no intention to go onto university. This was because I knew that I was keen to start working and feel secure in the guarantee of a job. To me, the competitiveness of completing a university degree did not feel like an automatic passport into the job of your dreams.

For my A-levels, I simply chose the subjects I felt I was good at and had an interest in. However, I’d ask myself often if I was going down the path I wanted, or the path built by those encouraging voices around me. After a year or so, I started to tease out what it was that I really wanted to start shaping my future around, which only confirmed to me that I didn’t want to go to university and pursue a degree in any of the subjects I was currently studying.  

I chose an apprenticeship because I saw it as a perfect opportunity to directly get involved in the work I wanted to base my career around. It is a great way of getting into an industry you feel passionate about. If you know what you want to do with your future, apprenticeships are a great way to practically learn but most importantly gain relevant experience.

Because apprenticeships are becoming more popular, competition for places is rising. I found that the online application process requires patience and resilience; you’re not the only one applying for that job so there is a waiting period involved. Therefore, when I got given the interview opportunity, I had to make sure I prepared the best I could. The Oasis advert really caught my eye, I believe in helping people and giving everyone an equal opportunity, so I knew this would be somewhere I would fit in well.

Everyone working at Oasis is passionate about people and championing the Oasis 9 Habits, encouraging their colleagues and students to become the best version of themselves. This makes the atmosphere within the company very joyful and friendly.

My experience of my apprenticeship so far has been what I expected. I knew I’d be learning a lot of new skills, and my team have been very supportive and have helped me to do just that. Very soon I’ll be starting my coursework and preparing myself for my upcoming exams. I’m very excited to complete this apprenticeship and build solid foundations for my career.  

I want to say a big thank you to everyone at OCL for being so welcoming and also for allowing me opportunities to develop as a person and as a professional.