Webinar: Top tips for success from Kaplan apprentices

Kaplan · 2 minute read · Published 3 Apr, 2025 Share article

One of our webinars, for National Apprenticeship Week 2025, brought together a panel of apprentices to share their experiences, challenges, and tips for succeeding in apprenticeship roles. This event offered invaluable insights for current and aspiring apprentices.

Event panellists

Hosted by Jenny Pelling, the Director of Apprenticeship Development and Diversity at Kaplan, the webinar featured a diverse panel of apprentices from our Apprenticeship Advisory Panel (KAAP), including:

Rory Murphy - CIMA apprentice at Bannatyne Group
Praise Jumbo - Level 3 apprentice at HSBC
Genelle Banton - Level 7 apprentice and manager at Gately Global
Niamh Clarke - recently completed her Level 7 apprenticeship and Senior Associate at PwC.

Key topics discussed

Embracing opportunities

Jenny initiated the discussion by asking Rory Murphy about the key to success in an apprenticeship. Rory emphasised the importance of saying “yes” to opportunities, explaining how engaging in diverse activities, such as charity events and school fairs, can broaden horizons and enrich professional development.

Managing your time

Praise shared her top tips for time management, highlighting techniques such as the Eisenhower Matrix and the ABC method. The Eisenhower Matrix is a time management technique that prioritises your tasks based on urgency and importance. Praise incorporates the ABC method to rank these tasks - such as ‘A’ for most important, ‘B’ for moderately important, and ‘C’ for least important. Overall, this helps her focus on what truly matters while delegating or eliminating less critical tasks.

The importance of soft skills

Jenny asks Genelle about the significance of soft skills in an apprenticeship. Genelle underscored the importance of communication, organisation, and teamwork. She encouraged apprentices to seek out learning opportunities, whether this be through in-house training sessions or online platforms like LinkedIn Learning.

Supporting the message of developing soft skills, Niamh shared her personal journey of how she’s gained confidence throughout her apprenticeship. Jenny explored this further by asking how to overcome fears of asking questions, whereas Niamh emphasised the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone and actively seeking feedback. Niamh advised apprentices to view challenges as opportunities for growth and to engage with mentors and peers.

Working with clients

Niamh emphasised the importance of communication and developing client relationships throughout your career. She suggested techniques such as making small talk and asking general questions to get to know the client and establish a rapport.

Niamh also shared an anecdote about a colleague who proactively introduced themselves to a client. She found this noteworthy because the colleague was new to the industry and wouldn’t be working directly with the client for long, yet they still recognised the value of building relationships.

Navigating change and progression

The panel also addressed questions about adaptability and career progression. Rory shared an anecdote about a time he approached his managers with career aspirations, demonstrating the value of open communication. He explained further how saying yes to opportunities and being transparent from the get-go led him to become a line-manager at age 21.

In addition to this, Genelle discussed the structured progression within her former apprenticeship at Barclays - highlighting how apprenticeships can offer clear pathways for growth.

Final thoughts

The webinar concluded with a lively Q&A session, where panellists offered practical advice on interviews, client interactions, and networking.

Praise shared her experience of proactively networking within her organisation, while Genelle Banton recounted a story of (accidentally) introducing herself to a company CEO, underscoring the importance of being proactive.