Learner Testimonial — Claire, Cyber Security Technologist

Apprenticeships are a great opportunity to learn on the job and reskill into the fascinating world of IT. One of our learners, Claire Forbes, talked to us about her experience on the programme.

Claire was working as Bank Manager for a Lloyds Banking Group branch in Salisbury when the opportunity arose to reskill.

“I was managing the day-to-day running of the branch, line reports, and so on; we had a restructure within the branch and Apprenticeships were an option. The change wasn’t related to Covid; we stayed open throughout because we were classed as a key service. We were in the office every day.

“I wanted to do something relevant, but also very different from what I used to do, so I applied for a Software Engineer Apprenticeship. Unfortunately, as there were no positions at my location, my Apprenticeship was put on hold and they asked me whether I’d like to try Cyber Security, which had just come up. It sounded way more interesting! This was in April 2023.

“I have to admit that, prior to this reskilling, I hadn’t looked into going back to school at all. I knew of Apprenticeships, but not too much; I had the preconception they were for 16-year-olds! I also wasn’t aware of Cyber Security. We had an info session and it sounded really exciting—something I could sink my teeth into and learn a new skill. There was also a certain amount of apprehension, but in a good way, just because it’s something I’ve never done before. I’d not done courses, exams, for so long, which also made me feel apprehensive—but that’s good, because it keeps you going!

“To introduce us to the programme, Lloyds had us attend a three-week Cyber Bootcamp before the Apprenticeship start. We did several short courses so we could all get the basics at the same time, before our first meeting with our Firebrand Learning Mentor, Eben Okai. We had an initial bit about the Apprenticeship, what to expect, then a bit of Cyber.

“The Apprenticeship started in July 2023. It’s the 24-month Cyber Security Technologist Apprenticeship at Level 4; there are 12 of us in total.

“I’m enjoying it! I’m still getting to grips with my team and day-to-day job; you have to be really organized and prioritize; I’ve marked a day each week in my diary as a study day. Coursework started off with PAM Academy—Firebrand Accelerated Workplace Skills Level 3—and I studied online, on Pluralsight, until the first residential training at Wyboston Lakes in November—our Cyber introduction.

“At the moment, I’m doing shadowing with my team—virtually—they’re based in Scotland. My team has completely changed; I came out of the branch environment and went into an intelligence threat team. It’s a complete reskill. Studying at Wyboston was really good; it covered off everything we had done in the pre-course bootcamp and embedded that learning. We covered loads of different areas in just three days with Phil, a brilliant instructor.

“My new title is Intelligence Analyst; I work with several others as part of a big team. My role focuses on tactics; others work on Operations and Strategy. I work with another apprentice on my team, Jordan – he’s Firebrand too. It’s really good to have another apprentice by your side to bounce stuff off of. My In-Work Mentor, Nick Leitch, has been very supportive too, as has Cassie Ellingham on the Firebrand side. We have daily team calls and I have contact with Nick most days.

“The work-study experience has been really good thus far. Cyber is really interesting, more technical than I thought it would be—I’m really enjoying it! It’s been a real eye-opener—learning a new skill and understanding such an important area to us as a financial services business. I’m looking forward to the certifications too—we will take official certifications from BCS, CompTIA, and Microsoft.”

Would you recommend Apprenticeships? Do you think making this choice was a good move?

“Yes—I made the right choice. There will be times where it’s going to be stressful, a hell of a lot of learning, but I’ll come out at the end in a strong position to work in Cyber Security, either in my current role, or other positions within the bank!”

Thank you for your feedback, Claire!