Hi, my name is Harriet Sherriff and I will be starting an Apprenticeship with BMW as a finance technician in August.

I became aware of the BMW Apprenticeship scheme at an Apprenticeship information evening held at the Witney Lakes Resort. I found out more about the placements that the company were offering and what the role within the finance department would entail as this was the area I was particularly interested in. I also wanted to know what life as an Apprentice within BMW would be like. I loved the sound of everything I was told and after completing further research I knew that this was the Apprenticeship that I would enjoy and which would enable me to develop both professionally and as a person.

I then completed the online application form that involved answering multiple questions about myself as well as my academic achievements. After BMW had assessed and accepted my initial application, online aptitude tests in literacy and numeracy followed. I then received a phone call and email notifying me that I had been successful so far and was invited to an assessment day in Cowley. This consisted of several tasks including team work, validation of the aptitude tests, a task linked with the specific role that I was applying for and finally a formal interview.

Two weeks later, I received another phone call telling me that the interviewers would like to see me for a second interview at which I was required to give a 15 minute PowerPoint presentation. This was very nerve-racking because I had never been through a recruitment process before. The week after this interview, I received a phone call telling me that I had been successful and that the Apprenticeship placement was mine! I was thrilled!

I thought that the assessment day and interviews were tough and thorough - I expected no different. I knew that the company would be investing a lot of time and money into the successful Apprentice’s career and therefore it was understandable that they needed to be sure that they were choosing the right candidate for the position. Having said this, the interviewers knew that this was likely to be my first ever interview and tried to make me feel at ease which gave me some confidence when answering their questions.

 I am very excited to begin the Apprenticeship with BMW and to start a career in finance!

Nicki Burnett-Smith, Head of Year 13 and Teacher of Business said: "We are so proud of Harriet, what a great achievement and she thoroughly deserves this excellent opportunity at BMW. Oxfordshire Apprenticeships have been so supportive of our students, giving them one to one advice and support through the complex process of applications. Aoife's support has been fundamental to the success we have had this year with our apprenticeship applications at Henry Box and we look forward to working closely with Oxfordshire Apprenticeships in the future!”