Ambassador Mea - Transcript

My name is Mea. I'm a finance apprentice at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NICE for short.

I knew for a fact I didn't want to go to uni, and I knew I wanted to do accountancy. I found out the best route to do that was an apprenticeship. I looked on the government website, and I saw the apprenticeship for NICE, and I filled out the application form, which was just a few questions, and then somebody rang me from the training provider, and then we set up an interview. I did that a few weeks later, and then I got the call saying I got the job.

When I started, obviously, I didn't have very many responsibilities, but once I'd picked up on those things, I was given more responsibility and more things to look after.

So now that I've been there for just over three years, I'm responsible for accounts receivable, invoicing customers. So I will create an invoice, then see that payment come in and match it to the invoice.

My manager supported me a lot with my apprenticeship. She made sure I had the right amount of time off for my learning. If I needed to do some extra studying or revision, she would allow me that time off. If I had any questions about anything, she'd help me.

In financial accounts, I will see things like technology appraisals and scientific advice.

I feel like I'm actually making a difference in what I do. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence is quite small, but it is great to see how we fit in within the wider Government Finance Function.

There's lots of shared training, loads of websites between the Government Finance Function, like One NHS Finance and the Skills Development Network. So there's lots of places for training and to connect with other people as well.

I do look on the Government Finance Function job board sometimes just to see what I could be doing once I get qualified and what opportunities there are out for me.