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Orla O’Kane, a HR Administration Apprentice for the Resourcing Team gained her GCSE results last year (2022) and decided to embark on a Level 3 apprenticeship at Nottingham University Hospitals.

Orla, 17, who started her role in January 2023, preferred to follow the apprenticeship route rather than go to college, she said “I remembering thinking that I would get more out of an apprenticeship than just a qualification, I would have an income, gain confidence by meeting lots of different people and gain transferrable skills for other careers, which prompted me to apply”.

Orla explains the day to day duties of her apprenticeship, “My administration duties include making job adverts live, setting up interviews and answering phone calls and emails. Every day is different and I also get the opportunity to attend regular recruitment events and meet new people”. Recently Orla attended a recruitment event for Year 10 students to show them the available career opportunities at NUH, of which she hopes inspires more students into choosing an apprenticeship.

When asked why she wanted to work at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), Orla said “I wanted to feel proud of where I work and it’s great to talk with people and say I work at NUH”. Orla continued “My family have worked and continue to work here too and they have always said it is a great place to work”.

As a Health Ambassador for Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), Orla would advise anyone who has the opportunity to apply for an apprenticeship at the NUH NHS Trust to go for it! Orla said “as long as you have your GCSE’s you can apply for any Level 2 and 3 apprenticeship”.

Orla also talks of the opportunities in her future at the NUH, she said “I get to carry on with my education, and by the end of my apprenticeship I will have had experience in different departments within the NHS, and then I will be able to choose a career based on which part of my apprenticeship I enjoyed most and go from there”.

Feeling inspired? See our current apprenticeships here; Current jobs | NUH

For more information about apprenticeships, see here; Apprenticeships | NUH