Freestyler puts her best foot forward for Riverside

Once a North West freestyle disco dance champion, Emily Harrison, is now strictly business.

A mathematics graduate, the 21-year-old, is putting her numerical skills to good use as a Riverside finance and IT apprentice

Why did you apply to be an apprentice?
“It was a brilliant opportunity to go into a specialised area that utilises some of the core elements of my degree in mathematics but still teaches me something new, setting me up with a good foundation for my future career.”

And why Riverside?
“It’s a really friendly environment. You are allowed the time to learn and develop and I don’t feel under too much pressure. I also love the fact we are all working in the aid of a good cause.”

What are you working on at the minute?
“At present I’m working within finance systems and support, answering queries on anything and everything finance-related. It provides a good variety and lets me interact with different people, so I am really enjoying it.”

How are you assessed during your apprenticeship?
“Throughout the course we have exams at the end of each module to check we have understood the content before we move on to the next topic area. At the end of my apprenticeship I enter my ‘end-point assessment’ which tests everything I have learned through a portfolio and professional discussion and synoptic exam.”

If you could give one piece of advice to someone embarking on an apprenticeship?
“Just do it! Take every opportunity you are given to learn as much as you can.”

What is your ultimate career aspiration?
“I’m still not 100% sure so I am going to take it all in. I may enjoy a leadership role in the future.”

Since the start of this financial year Riverside has welcomed 14 new hire apprentices and in total has 120 learners mid-programme.

We have spent almost a quarter of a million on development and to do so we have built strong partnering relationships with eight of the UK’s leading training providers from academic institutions such as Leicester and Sheffield Colleges to specialist providers such as Dutton Fisher, who have been fundamental to the rollout of our Housing/Property Management apprenticeship.