Apprentice Spotlight: Scarlett Tutty - Level 7 Architect Degree Apprenticeship
Why did you choose the apprenticeship route?
"After graduating in 2016 from Architecture BArch, I was keen to start working and I joined an architecture firm the following November. I really found my feet being part of this small team working within the field of conservation, a specialism I have always had an interest in. Feeling relieved to be out of education and working within a field I enjoyed, I always had the ambition to continue my studies, but I knew leaving the workplace and becoming a full-time student again wasn’t what I wanted. I investigated part-time study courses and found the apprenticeship scheme, which I felt would give me the study/work balance I wanted."
How do you feel the apprenticeship will affect not only your current job role, but future career development?
"The apprenticeship has given me a great advantage as I have been able to continue and build on my conservation experience whilst allowing me to pursue my career in Architecture. When fully qualified, I will be able to apply for my conservation accreditation, I have also built a strong network of relationships with various specialisms and contractors which will benefit me in the future, and the course has allowed me to develop further research which I have been able to use at work with clients and projects."
How have you balanced studying alongside your professional role?
"Whilst studying and working at the same time can be demanding, it also forces you in to being strict with your time management and this is the biggest difference I have found between studying full-time and part-time. I allot specific hours to my university work each week, rather than continuously working and risking burn out. The tutors are very understanding of this balance we maintain, and it is the skill I have developed throughout this course that I value the most. My employer has been supportive throughout this process - they certainly feel that it has benefited them being able to keep me on the team whilst studying, rather than losing me for two years, as a result they are conscious of my workload close to university deadlines."
What is your favourite thing about being an apprentice?
"I have not had to put my life outside of studying on hold to develop my career and being able to get paid and continue my studies, without the stress of having to add to existing student loans."
The staff and tutors are very supportive helping you throughout your time here and encourage you to take the knowledge you have gained through your work experience and apply it directly to your projects.
What skills and experience have you gained as part of this apprenticeship? Has there been anything that you were not expecting?
"Again, I would say the skill I value the most is my time management. I was not expecting this to be something I would be good at after my experience of full-time study, but studying an apprenticeship has taught me that what you can achieve in the time provided is enough without having to overload and drain yourself."
Why did you choose NTU and how have you found NTU as an apprenticeship training provider?
"Having studied at undergraduate level at NTU, and then working at Nottingham I maintained a connection with NTU. I felt that returning to study under the apprenticeship programme would be a good fit for me. The location of the university and the studios make a pleasant work environment. The staff and tutors are very supportive helping you throughout your time here and encourage you to take the knowledge you have gained through your work experience and apply it directly to your projects; they are understanding of the demands on your time and accommodate this. They encourage you to further explore the interests you have developed."
If you could describe your apprenticeship using just five words, what would they be?
"Personal, Rewarding, Balance, Development, Relevant."
To learn more about our apprenticeship courses, please contact apprenticeships@ntu.ac.uk.