Matthew's Career Journey in HR

Matthew Hammersley is the HR manager across the Coventry Chamber group and has been working in the HR sector for the last five to six years but has worked for the company for over ten years. Matthew started his first apprenticeship 11 years ago when he was 17 years old, starting with the contractor, Chamber Training Group, with an apprenticeship in business administration level two. Matthew completed his course while in employment at the Chamber of Commerce and then he moved onto his business administration level three.

Matthew says "I think that when you are young there are so many decisions to make that help to get you to your career path. You can do an apprenticeship, you can go to college, and there's sixth form and university options. For myself, what influenced me was that I had Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Training come out to my school and they promoted the values of apprenticeships while I was at that stage to make some important decisions that could affect my future career. After their visit, I had a great understanding on the benefits of doing an apprenticeship with them. Following my apprenticeship and completing my studies, I then moved on to do my university degree a bit later in my career."

"I think for me personally I have definitely gained confidence, and I think for any teenager, or anyone doing an apprenticeship as a first qualification, it can be quite daunting. As a result, by developing my confidence, it has helped me while doing an apprenticeship, as you're working with business professionals while studying online as well. The apprenticeship has developed my personal skills, communication, and that confidence in myself really to feel like I can believe I can do it."

"I am a massive advocate for anyone who wants to do an apprenticeship because I think that is a great way to gain experience, develop skills and earn a wage at the same time. By doing an apprenticeship, it is a great way to get into a field of work that you're looking to progress throughout by gaining experience and gaining a qualification. You get the best of both worlds, and I would absolutely promote anybody to go and do an apprenticeship."