Apprenticeships promote sector and skills development and equity, while offering a range of pathways into and through the profession that appeal to new and broader audiences. Red Tanner decided to take the apprenticeship path after realising that university was not for them, finding that it brought new perspectives and value to their career progression after finishing college.

Red’s story: becoming King’s College London’s Maughan Library’s first apprentice

I’m Red and I’m 19. I started this apprenticeship in early November 2023, after just completing my A-Levels (Graphic Communication, Criminology, and Psychology) earlier that year.

I decided to turn down my university offers after I realised that my reason to apply had come more from feeling like I was supposed to, rather than a personal value or interest in it, so I wanted to take an alternative post-college route, and get some more practical work-experience instead. Before this, I had volunteered as a bookshop assistant at Oxfam, and worked as a Trading Assistant at Sainsbury’s, so I had a little experience with books, and with working a job alongside my studies.

I work in Frontline Services, based at the Maughan Library, but still occasionally work across the other KCL Libraries, and since March I have started working in Special Collections once a week. I study with WAES, where I am given an assignment each month on a different Library and Information Services topic, ranging from information and digital literacy to the storage of analogue and digital collections. Having soft, rolling deadlines for each one has helped take a bit of the pressure off my studies, as you can add to assignments as you gain more experience.

An unfamiliar route

Doing an apprenticeship after sixth form was not something I had at all considered, nor was it something that I felt my tutors had presented as a viable route to me. An apprenticeship ended up appealing to me as I thought back to my last year in college doing my EPQ (Extended Project Qualification), a highly independent research product towards a 5,000 word dissertation, on queerness and the subculture of Emo. Not only was the library immensely important to me during this time, but it made me realise that I could really enjoy learning and writing when pursuing something I was actually invested in.

The traditional university route was unappealing to me as I didn’t have a particular interest in any one subject, but libraries have always been close to me throughout my life, so it seemed like a great opportunity to be able to get some genuine work experience, while not fully abandoning education, as well as gaining access into the library and information services sector. I was also initially put off by the idea of doing an apprenticeship because they typically do not pay a liveable wage, and I wanted something more worthwhile, so finding that this role was different to many others in that way made it more appealing).

Broad perspectives

The biggest surprise, which also turned out to be one of the things I have enjoyed the most about this apprenticeship, is how much I have learned about libraries as a whole, and how much it has broadened my perspective of what goes on outside of the perspective of a user. Being part of a university library for the first time is notable, but much of my additional wider learning has come from being able to connect with other apprentices through my classes, and hearing about their experiences in, for example, public libraries, gallery libraries, and archives, across England. Considering my past point of reference was my small college library and my public library, it’s been both surprising and really interesting to realise how much is out there.

Rising to the challenges

One challenge I found I was also not ¬expecting, was the adjustment to working in an office setting; an aspect of the ‘behind the scenes’ of libraries that I was not at all familiar with is the things which happen in the office; using MS Teams, organising my Outlook calendar, fitting in various meetings and events, as well as tidying up my computer bookmarks!

However, I feel that as an apprentice, my colleagues have been very understanding of the fact that I am so new to everything and learning on the job, so I’ve felt supported by people all across King’s, from my Line Manager, to other Library Assistants, to staff even outside of Frontline Services. I have tried to overcome any difficulties I find on the way by making a note of any questions I have, as well as trying to be just as patient with myself and give myself the time to settle into the role.

Finding the right way in to your career

When considering whether an apprenticeship is right for you, it’s really worth considering how much the need to balance working and studying at the same time will suit you and the way that you like to work.

Additionally, something that has been really beneficial to me on the job is always carrying around my notebook and making note of things I have learnt, training that I’ve had, or any questions that come up. It really helps when it comes to formally documenting your on/off-the-job training to have made note of it beforehand, as well as keeping me on track of my learning and retaining as much as possible. Making notes has been really helpful as it makes the job itself feel like as much of a learning experience as the taught classes.

CILIP is raising the alarm around the potential cuts level 7 apprenticeship funding.

Write to your MPs – tell your representatives why apprenticeships are key to our vital work and to building our profession. Retaining levy funding will help our sector enormously. CILIP members can use our Connect Toolkit – giving you the tools for your voices to be heard.