Telford finance apprentice is the perfect fit for Midlands Air Ambulance

Izzy Eastham joined the charity at its Cosford airbase and headquarters immediately after completing her A levels, and staff say she has already fitted in extremely well.

Finance manager, Karen Oliver, said: “It’s very apparent that Izzy is keen to learn, and as an 18-year-old with little workplace experience or skills to date, I have been impressed with the confidence she has displayed.

“As an organisation, we have undergone a period of transformational change in the past 18 months, and we desperately needed an extra pair of hands in the finance department to help spread the increased workload.

“Having an apprentice has certainly helped the team focus on keeping up-to-date and meeting our deadlines.”

Karen said Izzy’s main duties included learning about the charity’s accounting processes and helping with the day-to-day recording of financial transactions.

“We have also recently had a new cash counting machine and although a manual was provided when it was installed, I tasked Izzy with drawing up a handy ‘user guide’ on how to use the machine,” she said. “I am also keeping her actively involved with any issues that arise with the machine’s performance.”

Karen said taking on an apprentice had been straightforward with just a few forms to fill in.

“Linking up with a local college before recruiting an apprentice is certainly a good way to gain advice and assistance, particularly if you haven’t taken on an apprentice before," she said. “I don’t mind admitting that I was worried this route would take up too much of my time, but this has not been the case.

“The wider finance team were fully on board too. Recruiting an apprentice is a great way to support a person’s career choice and we are all appreciative of the help Izzy has provided so far.

“We can give Izzy experience in all aspects of finance within the charity, and this will help her learning and hopefully encourage her to stay with us even after she gains her AAT accounting qualification.

“It certainly helps that Izzy is very bright – it proves you don’t have to go to university to achieve a good career and I feel we are very lucky to have her.”

Karen said recruiting an apprentice gave an organisation the opportunity to “grow their own”, especially if they were joining straight from college.

“An apprentice probably has very limited experience, so businesses need to be prepared to put some time and effort in," she added. "But the apprentice will gain hands on experience and earn money, as well as studying for a professional qualification.

“I would hope that we can continue to support Izzy throughout her studies and that this will form some natural progression within the team, particularly as we are still growing as an organisation.”