Learner Testimonial — Ashley, IT Solutions Technician

When entry-level jobs require experience, trying to get your foot in the door can become a vicious cycle. Our recent Apprenticeship graduate, Ashley Hawkes persevered through years of struggle to get where he is now. Here is his story.

Ashley’s situation was difficult from the beginning. Brought up in care and suffering from ADHD, Dyslexia, and Dyscalculia, Ashley loved computers and did his best to follow this path, from IT in 6th Form to GCSEs and BTEC Level 3. Beyond that, progression became difficult.

“I was always trying to expand my knowledge and get into the industry. I got into this cycle, ‘We’re not gonna hire you ‘cause you don’t have any experience,’ so I did as many related jobs as I could.

“I went into Admin Account Administration first; I was the ‘IT person,’ updating Windows and antivirus software for a small company.

“Things were done old-school; we just had local users, nothing was on a domain…Tech-wise, it got to the point where there was nothing more I could do so I looked for something else. I wanted to give back to my care home, so I started working for child residential care. IT was really basic – no networking, for example. This was a life-changing experience as I saw the care system from the other side.

“Then, this opportunity came along – an Apprenticeship with Essex County Council. There was no age restriction and it came with a guaranteed interview as Essex County Council was running a care leavers' scheme.

“I’d tried to get on Apprenticeships in the past, but my English and Maths skills were so low no one would take me on. I never use Maths, ever! I work in IT, I have a calculator, I have ChatGPT if I really need to know something, I have Google…

“I flat-out was not interested in English or Maths. I told them, ‘I’m not the best at Maths, or English, I just do what I do!’

“Essex is a big county and I don’t drive. I went to all the Apprenticeship interviews that JobCentre got me – they have a great Work Coach! Some were in really remote areas, hard to get to. After a while, stars aligned: I saw this Apprenticeship with Essex County Council. It happened to be run through Firebrand.

“Unlike all other providers I’d tried, Firebrand helps students acquire English and Maths skills whilst on the Apprenticeship. The Council said I would be supported in developing these skills, so they took me on!
“I did English and Maths with Martin Bailey at Firebrand. I love Martin, I’m still friends with him and Venessa [Cox]!

“My initial assessments, I scored really low. Martin was brilliant – he got me to Wyboston [the Firebrand Training Centre], he met with me in person…I learned a lot and passed both of them! English was easy, to be fair.”

On the Apprenticeship, Ashley could choose between Software and Hardware – passionate about hardware, he chose the latter and did a Level 3 IT Solutions Technician Apprenticeship. As part of the two-year programme, he took industry-recognised certifications with CompTIA and BCS, as well as Data Protection (GDPR) training.

“The Council split apprentices across multiple departments; I was in the Department of Business Engagement, Second Line, and had the initiative to work in Device Management. ECC did everything well, I can’t fault them; my In-Work Mentor, Deanne [Barthee], was lovely, along with Emma Toublic — so many to mention. 

“I would also like to shout out the Essex County Council staff within tech services and my other apprentices, Adam, Connor, Harry, Jack, Josh, Louie and Owen — for their support and sticking together as a cohort though tough times. To this day we all still talk and occasionally meet up; these are bonds that will stick with all of us for the rest of our lives!

“My Firebrand Mentor, Steve [Stocks], he cared a lot, [while] my Learning Support and Welfare Manager, Venessa [Cox] understood the way I learn. I was not a typical student. I’d do all my coursework on time but fail the exam units.

“With the End Point Assessment, the first two times I failed because I didn’t have enough hardware experience. Although Firebrand never do this, they supported me and paid for my third assessment – massive thanks to Niro Kandiah! I had so many calls with Deanne, Venessa, my Firebrand Quality Assessor, Sarah Monk…When I finally passed there were tears of joy everywhere, I’ve finally done it! Venessa said, ‘There’s never been someone who deserves it more.’

“Following that, I decided to progress my career by pursuing a job with a company called CoreAzure, which focuses on Microsoft Azure.”

At CoreAzure, Ashley deals with App Gateway, National Live Services, DNS; he deploys DMs, Certificate management, and so much more, doing everything from first-line work to delegating and deputising.

“I knew nothing about Azure when I started, yet in January this year I was promoted to a Principal Service Desk Analyst (Third-Line Support). I’ve only been here a year, but I passed probation early, got promoted, and was recently successful in becoming a team leader. The Apprenticeship really opened the door!

“As part of my role at CoreAzure, I’ve studied Azure Fundamentals (AZ 900) – that’s a hard fundamental! – Microsoft 365 Certified Fundamentals (MS 900), Security, Compliance and Industry Fundamentals (Exam SC-900), and passed all my exams; I’m starting 104 soon [Azure Administrator Associate].

“Ironically, in my new job, I’m really pushing for people to do exams!

So, would Ashley recommend Apprenticeships?

“100%. Thinking back on what I studied, I’d say Hardware has become quite niche now, teams are being outsourced. If you want to go into it, do Cloud instead. Do your Fundamentals, aim towards Cloud-based Apps or DevOps/coding – especially now, when we can teach AI to code. This is only my opinion and I hope I’m incorrect, but, depending on the Government, AI may become heavily regulated, so opportunities may change.

“No matter what, with the right support, you can get through it and waiting for you is fantastic opportunity. Never give up!”