As National Apprenticeship Week draws to a close, we’re recognising the positive difference apprentices make in our workplace.
With more than 200 apprentice learners within Maximus, we already have an extensive apprenticeship offering for existing colleagues, but were keen to offer new opportunities to those outside the business.
Across England, we’ve recently recruited 12 Trainee Employment Advisors on Customer Service Specialist Level 3 Apprenticeships.
These talented individuals joined the Maximus-funded programme with a variety of barriers to employment, but with the same overarching goal – to make a difference within their local community and help our participants move forward.
The bespoke apprenticeship curriculum is unique to the UK, having been designed especially by our Talent and Development team.
Apprentices will complete a 16-month course, consisting of four days working in the office and one day of online training each week, that will enable them to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to excel in the role of an Employment Advisor.
The apprenticeship includes one-to-one career coaching, designated meetings with our Programme Director, Gareth Parry, as well as interview skills and training. At the end of the apprenticeship, all apprentices will undertake a final assessment with the goal of joining the business in a permanent position.
As a Disability Confident Leader, our commitment to diversity and inclusion was at the forefront of our recruitment process, with all qualified applicants including minorities, women, protected veterans and those with disabilities strongly encouraged to apply.
Maha Benrbib is one of these apprentices who recently joined Maximus. As a single mother-of-two, Maha was looking for a role that would allow her to gain a qualification while building a career at the same time.
She said: “I have two young children so naturally my main focus has always been on them. Now they’re a bit older, I wanted to find a balance in terms of working full time and being there to support them.”
When we first launched our apprenticeships, we wanted to help those applying overcome any barriers they may have. For Maha, flexibility and childcare proved to be her biggest challenge when finding work.
“I had previous experience in customer facing roles so was looking for something that would involve working with people. However, in the two years I was unemployed I found looking for work really difficult.
“I was struggling to find something that would work for me and my children, and found finding flexibility and support with childcare a challenge.”
Maha is one of three apprentices who joined Maximus after being supported through one of our employability programmes. After joining the Restart Scheme in Enfield in November 2022, her Employment Advisor recognised the skills and attributes Maha possessed that would make her ideal for the apprenticeship.
Maha explained: “My Employment Advisor thought it would be a great fit and suggested I apply. I had an interview with the team and found out I had been successful shortly afterwards. I was over the moon.”
After beginning her apprenticeship in January, Maha reflected: “For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’ve really been accepted by a company, and Maximus has given me that chance to really prove myself and show people what I can offer. As a single mother-of-two, I’ve found it hard to find a career path that I want to do and Maximus has really given me that opportunity so I’m really grateful.
“The apprenticeship has really changed my life. It’s enabling me to gain a qualification and work at the same time, and I’m really excited to see what my future holds with Maximus.”
Gareth Parry, Programme Director for Employability at Maximus, said: “We offer an extensive range of employability programmes across the UK, and so it was important we reflected these local communities through our own talented apprentices.
“The bespoke curriculum is a fantastic opportunity to push our business forward and allow talent to blossom. I’m really excited to see these new colleagues develop and build their careers within Maximus.”
