University of Oxford Apprentices: October 2019

Our apprentices visit Brussels

A few of our apprentices were selected to go on an Apprenticeship trip to Brussels this month, where they would meet with MEPs and member of the European commission. The trip was organised by MEP Judith Bunting and included tours of the EU parliament as well as talks with MEPs about how the EU helps to fund Apprenticeships.

Click here to watch a short video clip from their trip!

Teya Agnese, Apprentice Clinical Trials Support Officer in NDORMS

The apprentice trip to Brussels was so informative and interesting. I felt like I learnt a lot about MEPs and what their job roles are, the skills they require and what they do/ are involved in. We attended a talk on life as an MEP performed by Judith Bunting herself and I found this really inspirational. She made a lot of points about what she did as an MEP (attending a lot of meetings, being involved in debates about current issues and making decisions about solutions, writing reports and campaigning) and also the skills that you may require to be one. For instance, you should be able to prioritise more important tasks over others, despite them all being important, and also never being afraid to ask questions. If you were unsure which task was more important than another, then she said to not be afraid to ask your manager which ones to complete first.

I also learnt a lot about the other apprentices on the trip, the different varied types of apprenticeships available and about how apprentices can take advantage of the ERASMUS+ and pro programmes.

On day 2, the morning included a small tour of the European Parliament which included the Hemicycle. The Hemicycle was a beautiful part of the parliament and it was really interesting finding out more information about how the debates work and where people sit (alphabetical order, unless places in the front seats).

During the formal drinks reception, a few MEPs performed a speech to all apprentices. I found George Cunningham’s story really fascinating and got very excited when he came over to speak to us about his story to how he got to the position he is in now: The Chair of Liberal Democrats Overseas. Throughout his 20’s, he decided to walk across Africa with a backpack for charity which took over 2 years to complete; he said was challenging yet rewarding! He then kick-started his career serving as an officer in the British Army and later became EU ambassador to Afghanistan. He has also been very focused on helping young people which is why he gave a speech to us apprentices. I found his story very inspiring and he gave us all encouraging words of wisdom to stay motivated and strive for success.

I was also really excited to meet Judith Bunting as she was the person who offered this amazing opportunity/ apprentice trip to Brussels. Judith was so friendly and welcoming to all of the apprentices and it was an honour to meet both her and George.

I really enjoyed being able to network with other apprentices and also meet MEPs. I thought this was a brilliant opportunity in case we ever need help or advice in the future about our apprenticeship/ career. I found hearing other people’s stories really motivating which made me reflect on how much of an amazing opportunity it is and how lucky I am to be an apprentice.

Harriet Goss, Events and Administrative Apprentice at Said Business School

During the Apprentice trip to Brussels, I had the honour of meeting MEP, Judith Bunting, who shared valuable insights on the work that goes on behind the closed doors of the European Parliament.

We arrived in Belgium late afternoon/evening on Tuesday 15 October. After checking in to our hostel, we made our way to the European Parliament building to attend a formal drinks reception, hosted by Judith.

The reception kicked off with talks by Parliament members, including Ben Butters (Deputy CEO of EuroChambers), George Cunningham (Chair of Lib Dems Overseas and former Deputy EU Ambassador to Afghanistan) and Lucy Nethsingha (MEP for East of England). We also had the opportunity to hear about the Erasmus+ Scheme, which has now been extended to Apprentices. Erasmus is an exciting opportunity offered to people of all backgrounds and walks of life to work, study and live abroad.

As someone who has always been interested in studying abroad, I was really happy to learn that the Government increased the funding of this scheme, opening up more doors for young people, like myself. After this we had free time to network with MEPs and other Apprentices.

Fast-forward to Wednesday 16 October, in which we returned to the European Parliament Building.

We were given an insightful talk on ‘Life as a MEP’. This gave myself and the other Apprentices the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about how Parliament operates.

Following on from this, we were then given a tour of the HemiCycle. This is the large, televised room that sits 751 MEPs from 7 political groups.

The speaker described the layout of the room, explaining where each political party sat. I was fascinated to hear that 24 different languages were spoken in this room. Further, that Parliament had numerous translators constantly relaying information in various tongues.

We then had free time in Brussels, which we spent doing all the touristy things; eating chips, buying Belgian chocolates, taking multiple photos of pretty buildings etc.

The trip then came to an end and we all embarked on a long journey home.

I am so glad that I attended this trip. I’ve made many valuable connections and new friendships within such a short period of time, all of whom I intend to stay in touch with.

This really was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and to be in Parliament at such a pressing time in history is something I did not and will not take for granted.

Overall, a great trip to Brussels! It was short but sweet… and definitely something I will never forget!

Matthew Harris, Apprentice Administrative Assistant in Central HR

We were only in Brussels for two days but there was loads packed into those two days!

We arrived in Belgium late afternoon on Tuesday and the first thing we did was check into the hostel, after that it was back on the metro to visit the EU parliament, where there was a really insightful reception event for all the apprentices on trip, there was about 50 of us in total, some from South-East England and some from the East of England.

We had a few talks from various members of the EU parliament and from those who were championing apprenticeships and the Erasmus+ scheme which allows for apprentices to work all over Europe and gain experience working abroad as part of their apprenticeship, there was loads of free food and drinks too which was nice!

I enjoyed getting to know the other apprentices at this event, many of whom were from outside of Oxfordshire in places like Kent, Surrey and Berkshire. It was really interesting to learn about the opportunities for apprentices in Europe and to meet lots of interesting people.

I also loved exploring the city and getting to try the local food and beer, I’ve never been to Brussels before but it was a really inspiring city with plenty there to keep us busy.

On the second day we went back to the EU parliament and attended a talk from one of the civil servants who works there. He wasn’t attached to a particular party or anything and explained to us in detail about how MEPs across Europe take their seats in the hemicycle and also about how decisions are made, there was a lot of information which I learned here that I did not know before going on the trip.