My journey as a Digital Essex apprentice: part two

The weeks have flown by since I last wrote about my experiences as an apprentice at Essex County Council. At times, I feel like I’ve worked here for months, then at other times, it’s like I’ve just arrived!

One thing I’d like to tell you about is reverse mentoring, which I’ve been doing for the past four months with Steve Evison, Director of Sustainable Growth. The idea is to mentor someone who is higher up in the hierarchy, which does sound strange in all honesty. But it’s actually turned out to be really beneficial.

A unique mentoring experience

It started with an introductory session between Steve and I, where we broke the ice by talking about our favourite TV shows and what we hoped to gain from this unique mentoring experience. As someone who is intimidated by those in authority, I candidly expressed my fears to Steve. Surprisingly, this experience helped me feel more at ease and the results of our monthly calls have been genuinely positive. For example, I feel more confident when speaking to people in video calls, which has been a welcome change for me.

Connecting through learning

Recently, I was invited to attend an event organised by Chloe Barnes, Holly Bunting and Abbie Foster from the Young Person's Network, which brought together apprentices from across ECC. This eye-opening event was an opportunity to interact with others who shared similar experiences and aspirations. Our icebreaker activity, where we humorously sketched portraits of each other and passed them around for finishing touches, set the tone for an enjoyable day ahead. We then engaged in competitive games that sparked both laughter and intense excitement. The room fell silent during a game of ping pong, the only exception being when gasps were heard anytime a throw was missed!

The highlight, however, was our next activity: a British sign language course taught by a talented deaf instructor. I learned how to do things such as finger-spell my name and ask where someone lives. Meeting new people face-to-face was an interesting change compared to working remotely, but I must admit that it was the hands-on learning experience of the British sign language course which left a lasting impact. I can see myself taking more courses in the future, so I can learn the language more extensively.

Women in engineering

Since my last blog, I have also taken the lead on an important project focused on women in engineering, which felt like a defining moment for me. Not only has it confirmed my passion for writing and creating social media content, but I have also learnt how to approach other opportunities in the future. Conducting interviews and transcribing them was no easy feat, but the satisfaction of seeing everything come together on the website was a great feeling. I even had the opportunity to craft soundbites, receiving positive feedback. This experience was a fun one and it's beginning to feel like a possible future career path for me.

Read the Women in engineering article here.

A day out

Finally, I want to finish with a special day I had with the team recently, when one of our colleagues bid us farewell. After sharing an incredible meal at a restaurant, we presented the departing colleague with a gift. It was sweet to witness, and I was glad to be included in the moment.

To add some adventure, we headed to indoor mini-golf in Chelmsford – a decision we came to regret as it appeared the venue doubled up as a sauna! Despite that, I was delighted when I scored a hole-in-one – much to my surprise – and thought to myself: ‘If I’d been told that I would be playing mini-golf during my apprenticeship, I wouldn’t have believed it!’.

The team giving a leaving gift

As I continue my apprenticeship, I look forward to embracing new opportunities that come my way. The support I've received from my colleagues has been really encouraging, and I am grateful for the chance to grow both personally and professionally in this dynamic environment.

Follow Abi's journey as she works towards her apprenticeship in marketing. You can find the first edition here.