REWARD
How did you find the experience while working? I feel very strongly about apprenticeships and the positive impact they can have on a person’s development in the payroll industry. You must dedicate 20% of your time to learning and I decided to use one whole day a week (a Thursday, to be specific) to do my apprenticeship work and attend lessons. I found it easy to manage working at the same time as learning and I was flexible around payroll deadlines and the end of the month workload. Setting one day a week for apprenticeship work is a good idea as it ensures you stay on track and separates work from learning, so you don’t get distracted. You can use the 20% however you wish, but I would always recommend using a whole day as that’s how I found I was most productive. What does a day in the life of a payroll apprentice look like? A typical day for me as a payroll apprentice started with an apprenticeship lesson. We had lessons 9am – 12pm every other week. I would spend the rest of the day writing up notes, completing home tasks that Nick set us and putting the content into practice. I like to have a folder full of notes, so I spent a lot of time organising and creating my notes, to go alongside the apprenticeship slides. There are two parts of the apprenticeship – the lessons and the coursework. I would organise my time wisely so that I could have my lessons and write up the associated notes but also left time for the other part of the apprenticeship. This consisted of meetings with Alison Pickering (my assessor) and completing coursework tasks as required. A day as an apprentice is busy but productive and can be filled with a variety of tasks. Towards the end of the apprenticeship, I spent a lot of time revising. What content is covered in the payroll apprenticeship? The technical side of the apprenticeship covers: l the role of the payroll function l law and legislation l pay methods and frequencies l types of workers
me to have them around me supporting my journey. I have had some amazing opportunities since completing the apprenticeship: I was able to go to Birmingham to visit the CIPP and film an interview about my experiences as an apprentice, I have featured in a couple of issues of the CIPP’s Professional magazine and I was invited to attend the CIPP Annual Excellence Awards at Celtic Manor. Here, I accepted an award for my amazing apprenticeship teacher, Nick. I’m a huge payroll fan and I try to spread my positivity for payroll and especially apprenticeships, as it has been such an amazing route and experience for me. I’m a huge payroll fan and I try to spread my positivity for payroll and especially apprenticeships, as it has been such an amazing route and experience for me
l real time information l systems and processes.
The coursework side of the
apprenticeship covers: l skills and behaviours l planning and prioritisation l systems and processes l teamworking l communication l professional scepticism.
The coursework also involves providing examples of how you display the skills and behaviours in your role.
How has the payroll apprenticeship helped you? I started the Level 3 Payroll Apprenticeship two years into working in a payroll bureau. This meant I had some experience and basic knowledge when embarking on the apprenticeship. This worked well for me, but you can also start the apprenticeship as a school leaver, or as someone who has been working in payroll for longer than I had been. The apprenticeship helped to confirm the knowledge I already had and expanded my knowledge massively. I really benefited from learning the manual calculations and understanding how the system calculates the payroll. This was helpful for queries from both clients and employees, and it gives you visibility. The payroll apprenticeship also helped me to build my network. I had two other people in my class, and it was amazing to share experiences, learn alongside them and talk about our different payroll roles. I now have an amazing relationship with so many incredible payroll professionals in the industry and it means so much to
The future I would recommend the payroll
apprenticeship to anyone. It has been one of the best things I have done in my career so far as I gained knowledge and possess a professional qualification. I have also made great relationships and had some amazing opportunities. Crucially, I was able to work at the same time as learning. It would be amazing to see more young people like me choosing payroll as a career and following the apprenticeship route. I’d like to see schools and colleges promoting payroll as a career and encouraging young people to complete payroll apprenticeships. When I was at sixth form, I would have loved payroll to be a clear option and I know many other young people in the future will too. I’m going to be completing the Level 5 Payroll Manager Apprenticeship shortly and I’m so excited for the new content, the learning and the next steps in my payroll career. n
l statutory deductions l automatic enrolment l manual calculations l starters and leavers
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 87 | February 2023
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