Renata Kozlovskaja started a Business Administration apprenticeship with us in 2020, she now works full time at Sterling Pharma and is excelling in her career. We spoke to Renata about how she found her business administration apprenticeship and why she would recommend it to others wanting to pursue a career in Business.
What apprenticeship did you do with TDR and how did you find it?
I did Business Administration Level 3, which was spread over 18 months in total.
When I started the course, I was completely new to business administration. It felt like there was a lot to do, but every module was planned well and gave enough time for research and practice. I felt nervous preparing my assessments and especially recorded discussions; by the time I finished my course, I felt like a different person.
What was the best thing about your apprenticeship?
Working with professionals and getting experience while being paid.
Just reading or researching is not enough, it is important to get involved in projects to understand processes better. I found it very useful to work alongside professionals, being able to ask questions whenever I was unsure of something. Getting advice from people who have been in this business for many years, definitely helped to expand knowledge.
Do you have any advice for other apprentices?
Don’t be afraid of challenges – they make you stronger. Every time you think you can’t do something, push yourself to do it and you will be amazed of what you can achieve.
Don’t underestimate the value of planning ahead. Leaving things until last minute will overcomplicate your life and add more stress which is completely unnecessary. One of the best things I did during my course, was preparing for everything in advance, leaving enough time to prepare for my final exams.
What is your favourite thing about working at Sterling?
Working at Sterling is great because of its business complexity. Working in such a fast-paced environment may be overwhelming at times, but these challenges help to develop your strengths, as well as face your weaknesses, which is extremely important in order to progress further.
The great thing about Sterling is that the company truly believes in supporting and investing in its employees. Next year I am hoping to take an additional course in marketing, supported by Sterling, to help with my career development. I know that my decision to progress further will always be appreciated. Being in an organisation that strives for a better future and continued professional development is important for a young professional like myself.
How have you been finding work since completing your apprenticeship?
It’s been great, I get involved in many interesting projects such as promotion of internal communications as well as health and wellbeing at work. I also get to travel to support event management, including trade shows and employee events which is something I haven’t experienced previously.
Sterling is growing rapidly and working in such a fast-paced environment has helped me to gain confidence and transferable skills that can be applied in many other areas of life.