Hello, my name is Darren Hodgkinson and I work at Universal Skills as the Finance & Planning Manager.
I have currently been at Universal Skills for over 8 years and was originally the planner for the training centre. Ever since I started work, way back in 1990, I’ve always liked to be structured so when a planning opportunity came up as I left school, it seemed a perfect start to my working career. 34 years later, planning is still part of my everyday routine but I also got into finances a few years ago, I’ll come back to that soon…
Away from work, I’m a quiet type who likes most sports, especially football and golf. I did play a lot of football but age caught up with me and sadly, my ankles couldn’t take it anymore and was forced to retire which meant returning to watch my local team, Bolton Wanderers. I currently have a season ticket and yes, most weekends are ruined as they lose more than they win . As for golf, lets just say I play, I’m not very good but my excuse is that I get my steps in!
Okay, what is the reason for me writing this blog?...
When I was growing up, apprenticeships were frowned upon as they were long winded and didn’t pay very well in the early years. I never really thought about apprenticeships but that all changed when I joined Universal Skills.
Universal Skills is a Training Centre and when the ‘Smart-Meter’ rollout was introduced, we had a number of clients doing the training. It was then that apprentices were sent to our centre for training and I learned a lot more about how apprenticeships worked. You get hands on training in the centre and in between learning, you go out in the field to gain experience and log all this via an online portfolio. You then pick up the qualifications needed for the industry and whilst you are still learning, the apprenticeship will enter the EPA process (End Point Assessment). Your portfolio is viewed and assessed and you then have an interview by an industry expert. All this is done over roughly 13 months with your qualification granted at the end with a possible distinction or pass.
So, how does this affect me?…
In 2020, there was an opportunity for me to widen my skills away from planning and help out in finance. This had been something I’d come across whilst planning as I often got involved in purchases and the passing of invoices. I was introduced to some accounting software the company used, Xero (with an x as the tv advert states!). This software got me hooked on accounting as it seemed so easy to navigate around and with some training, I started to get the accounting feeling. It was trial and error as I’d receive phone calls about the P&L and can you run me a trail balance…I was like, yeah no problem but didn’t have a clue . This gave me the push to find out how I could upskill and gain a proper qualification. As mentioned above, Universal Skills runs apprenticeships so I did some digging. I was thinking "I cant be off work for a number of weeks" so how do I do this, and there it was…a shining light coming across the horizon…I can do an apprenticeship, level 2 AAT and all I have to do is be online once per week and put in the hours as well as my work…bingo, winner winner, chicken dinner!
So off I went to see the boss, who thought it was a great idea, and I signed up, November 2021. I even got my own AAT number so I now felt important…my own AAT number…officially a finance genius. Crikey, I forgot what learning was like. I was a mature apprentice and hadn’t really been in a learning environment for many a year. I knew I had to do my functional skills (Maths & English)…what a shock that was, being asked maths questions that I hadn’t done for 30 years…my immediate thoughts, what the hell are you doing and reality began to sink in, I’m not the genius I thought I was. This is when the hard work started. Attending the lessons, making notes and asking awkward questions that I thought everyone else knew but me. I’m not going to lie, early in my apprenticeship, I thought many a time, I can’t do this, it’s not sinking in…I’m going to embarrass myself in failing something I’m doing for my company…they will sack me!
A number of self doubts became my enemy as I have never been a confidence person, I quickly realised it wasn’t just the qualification that was the hard work, it was also the ability to overcome my lack of confidence that would determine if I could complete this apprenticeship. As a learner, one thing sticks out in those early days. The fact you don’t think the information is sinking in is no doubt an obstacle but what you don’t realise is that the more work you are doing, the information is storing in your mind but you just don’t realise.
I started to feel a little more confident as the apprenticeship went on and the big turning point for me was the first exam. The AAT qualification is built in sections and you have an exam after each section. My first exam came roughly after around 5 months of learning. I’m not going to lie, I was an absolute wreck on the morning of the exam. I travelled to Manchester, had a McDonald’s breakfast to ease the nerves. Anxiety was at the maximum level, heart beating out of the chest…many toilet visits….and then the moment of truth, you go into the exam room….2 hours later, exam finished, back on train thinking well that wasn’t so bad…I think. Another 2 hours later, a email from my apprentice coach telling me I’d passed the exam with a 89% score….the joy, giving myself hi fives and realising I could do it.
From that moment on, I knew It was achievable. Don’t get me wrong, there were a few rocky moments still and every exam, I always doubted myself. 13 months later, all exams done, portfolio marked and EPA interview attended. The result… DISTINCTION.
So proud of myself after everything I went through, especially the self doubt and lack of confidence and a number of times I wanted to throw in the towel. Self persistence and the backing of a good employer is key to a good apprenticeship.
3 years later, I have decided to do my Level 3 apprenticeship, I started this in November 2024. Why do I want to do this, after everything I went through? I now have the experience to deal with the challenges and I want to progress in the finance department and come up with my own solutions and not rely on other people.
So my apprentice journey has entered another phase, the doubts are there again but nothing is easily gained in life… you define your own life, so why not keep going?
