Are you weighing up the option of apprenticeship versus university? You’re not alone.
Dan Molloy was in this exact position. He knew he wanted a qualification, but he was stuck wondering which route would be better for his career long-term.
Fast-forward to the latter part of 2023 and Dan had made the leap. He moved to Cardiff to begin his first corporate role and start an apprenticeship in project management.
We caught up with Dan to find out about his experience so far and what joining Legal & General at 18 years old was like.
What attracted you to do an apprenticeship at Legal & General?
Moving down to Cardiff for the apprenticeship was a big step for me at the age of 18. I’d made a big decision to not go down the university route and it was time to see whether this was the right move. And since I've been at Legal & General, it's been really reassuring to know I have the support of my colleagues. They don't just care about how I'm performing at work, but they really do care about my personal well-being too, which is great.
What has your experience been like so far?
My time here so far has been massively diverse, and I’ve worked on different projects across multiple different business areas. We were able to collaborate and deliver great change for the business and for our customers, which has been a real highlight for me.
I continue to look at developing my project management skills and broaden my knowledge of Legal & General’s end-to-end lifecycle to understand the processes which would be implemented in project management across different organisations.
But further to that, Legal & General have given me the opportunity to develop my professional skills. That's done on a regular basis with professional essential skills training, which is fantastic.
Why should others consider exploring an apprenticeship at Legal & General?
My colleagues and the leadership team come from all walks of life, and they have started their career at many different points. A lot of them are at really successful places now because of their hard work and ambition, and I suppose that spurs me on to try and be like them. It feels like everyone champions the apprenticeship schemes and they really want us to succeed.
I’ve already worked on some big projects during my time here and I’m looking forward to gaining even more skills along the way.
What would you advise others looking to pursue the apprenticeship route?
I think one of the most important things is just being real and honest about who you are. It's tempting when you get into interviews or assessment days with an organisation, to try and be what you think they're looking for.
Just be yourself and be honest with yourself.
Explore your career opportunities at Legal & General
Legal & General offers apprentice programmes across Data, Technology, Accounting, Customer Service, Project Management, Business Analysis and Financial Crime.
Attracting career changers as well as school and college leavers, new apprentices join Legal & General teams in London, Cardiff or Hove, as part of an enterprise-wide community. The combination of studying industry-recognised qualifications, on-the-job training and a supportive environment creates an excellent foundation for long-term careers.
For further information or to register your interest in an apprentice programme at Legal & General, explore our future talent opportunities.
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