09 February 2021
Building the future: Apprenticeship Week 2021
For the 14th annual National Apprenticeship Week, we are celebrating apprenticeships and how they “Build the Future”.
This week gives us a chance to reflect on the positive impact apprenticeships continue to have on our teams, company and wider community. We will be taking the opportunity to highlight some of the motivating apprenticeship stories from our people across the business.
We spoke to Joshua McLaughlin, Audit and Assurance Assistant, about his apprenticeship experience while working with our Manchester team.
What made you choose accountancy as a career?
I’ve always loved maths and when I looked at my options for college, accountancy was an obvious path to explore. After further research it was clear that it would be a great match for my skillset.
Attending a university didn’t really appeal to me at the time as I didn’t like the idea of only learning theory. That’s why I decided that an apprenticeship would be a good path as I could learn on the job.
Why did you choose Haines Watts?
I was pointed towards Haines Watts by the Apprentice Academy. After looking at different companies, I found that Haines Watts would be the best option as it meant I could experience a variety of accounting services. I knew I was interested in auditing, so Haines Watts would give me the opportunity to pursue this further while getting a good breadth of general knowledge.
When applying, it was clear that they had a supportive culture. I was confident that it would be a good environment to learn in.
What is your favourite part of your role?
The best part of the job is getting to know your clients. You meet such a wide variety of people from many different industries and it gives you great insight into how businesses work. This also means you’re not stuck in the office every day and it keeps the days interesting, it’s not all about paper work.
What are your ambitions?
I’m working towards my professional qualifications at the moment, which will allow me to become a chartered accountant. After that I’ll be taking every opportunity to climb the career ladder and further develop my skills.
What is your advice to anyone considering an accountancy apprenticeship?
Any apprenticeship will be overwhelming at times. It’s really important that you ask loads of questions and don’t be scared to ask for advice. At the end of the day, you’re there to learn so there’s no silly questions. The best part of going down the apprenticeship route is being able to rely on the experience of your colleagues. Make sure you use that to your advantage.
