With data protection an ever-present concern for many organisations, Damar is helping employers address skills shortages though the Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner apprenticeship. The first group of apprentices are due to complete in the New Year and so we caught up with Manchester Airport Group apprentice Evie Scott and her manager to get their thoughts on the programme so far.
Evie left college in summer 2022 after A Levels and a BTEC. She wanted to continue learning but in a more hands-on environment:
“In my final year of college, my tutor helped me create a LinkedIn account and I found the Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner apprenticeship opportunity at Manchester Airport Group. Having previously visited the airport on a school trip I found the range of jobs there fascinating, so I started looking into their apprenticeship opportunities and how they could benefit my career.”
Evie applied successfully for the role of apprentice Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner at Manchester Airport Group (MAG). Over a year into her job, she is finding the programme engaging and is developing new skills and perspectives that she can apply at work:
“I really enjoy the fact that the apprenticeship programme is challenging yet engaging. I enjoy the further reading aspect as it allows me to gain a greater insight into topics and offers different viewpoints and perspectives which I try adopting into my work.”
Charlotte Lewendon-Jones, Head of Data Protection and Privacy at MAG, has over 30 years’ experience in Information Governance. She was part of the trailblazer group of employers that helped develop the Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner apprenticeship.
Charlotte manages the Data Protection and Compliance Team at MAG.When MAG advertised their data protection apprenticeship opportunities in summer 2022, they were overwhelmed by the level of interest. This was testament, Charlotte believes, to the quality of the apprenticeship itself and to MAG’s commitment to its wider apprenticeship programme. On the impact of apprentices so far, she comments:
“The apprentices are confident and bring a fresh viewpoint to the team which brings huge improvements. When the apprentices go on training sessions, I challenge them on some of our processes to see what they have learnt, find ways in which we can do better and support their learning journey.”
About Evie, Charlotte adds:
“Considering Evie didn’t have any experience in data protection and information governance, I feel she’s done really well. Her training started in September 2022 and I’ve seen her confidence grow. Her approach and attitude to work are excellent, she’s gaining great experience, asking fewer questions and making more informed decisions based on her experience and what she’s learnt.”
Finally, we asked Evie how she feels the apprenticeship will impact her moving forward:
“When I apply what I have learnt so far to my workload or tasks I have an appreciation for why things are done in a certain way. I feel the further I get into my apprenticeship more it will continue to influence my everyday tasks, benefit the organisation and help me in my job role.”
At Damar, we believe in the power of apprenticeships to benefit business and transform lives. We see it every day across the thousands of supportive employers, apprentices and workplace supervisors that we are proud to partner with.
If you would like to see how the power of apprenticeships can benefit you or your business, we’d love to speak to you.
Find out more:
For more on our Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner Apprenticeship, which was built in partnership with experts in the field at Act Now, please visit the apprenticeship page.