A little about Saleha’s apprenticeship…
Apprenticeship Title
Level 4 Sales Executive
Job title and employer
Customer Success Executive at LexisNexis Risk Solutions
What are 3 skills you’ve learned so far?
Confidence
Time management
Relationship management skills
What are your interests outside of work?
Baking, sharing my bakes with friends and family and eating my bakes whilst watching a good movie, and also nature walks
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What inspired you to choose an apprenticeship as your next step?
The first time I realised I didn't want to go to university was back in year 11 when we were deciding our next steps. I knew I didn't want to go on and keep studying, but I didn't feel like I had any other option. I ended up deciding I would go to sixth form and pick subjects that I enjoyed so I wouldn't struggle with exams as much. During sixth form I realised my approach wasn't working out as well as I thought, and enjoying a subject doesn't make you great at the exams. Then someone from Visionpath came in and spoke to us about apprenticeships, as well as the Futures Academy and London Insurance Life opportunities that they were launching.
"I signed up for the opportunity as quick as I could knowing this could be my way of getting into the working world without going to university."
I was lucky enough to get through and complete the Futures Academy. This experience allowed me to gain a better insight into the insurance world. I gained experience I never had before and it taught me what an assessment centre would be like. I had also met people from Visionpath I knew would support me into getting an apprenticeship. With this experience I was able to join the Visionpath Talent Network and received an email from them about the sales apprenticeship that I'm currently on.
What kinds of things do you get up to in your role? Any tasks you especially enjoy?
In my role as a Customer Success Executive I have to speak to a lot of customers. At first, this was the thing I was most afraid of and had a lot of anxiety about, however, the regular coaching sessions I have with my Visionpath coach have allowed me to slowly build my confidence in this, and now I look forward to meeting customers and supporting them, because seeing how grateful some of them are gives me great satisfaction in what I do.
I also love working with the teams in the background of a product. It amazes me to see how creative they can be and how they focus on even the smallest of details a general consumer wouldn't think about. Being on an apprenticeship has opened up so many more career paths I wouldn't have thought of before and has allowed me to meet so many people in the company that I otherwise wouldn't have met.
What’s been the standout highlight of your apprenticeship so far?
One of my biggest highlights was speaking on the panel in the Visionpath Class of 2025 event. I'm glad my Visionpath coach encouraged me to do it and supported me along the way. I'm a very nervous person and I tend to stumble over my words when speaking to people I've known for a while, so speaking in front of a crowd of unfamiliar people was not something I ever thought I would or could do. The benefits outweighed the nerves I felt, and the confidence boost it gave me made me realise that if another opportunity like this came to me I would take it, even if I was scared, because I know I have incredible people supporting me whenever I need.
The most recent standout highlight for me was the recognition I received at my company's end of year awards. I was shocked when I was announced as the winner of the Embracing Curiosity award. The other nominees for the award were such skilled hard-working individuals that winning this event felt surreal, especially when I'd only been in the company for 8 months. At first I was in denial until I heard multiple people on our SLT give positive feedback about meeting me, that's when I realised that I was really proud of the progress I'd made since starting this apprenticeship and how much I'd developed.
Have you come up against any challenges during your apprenticeship, and how did you navigate them?
In the beginning few months of my apprenticeship, I didn't feel like I was doing anything significant to help or support my team. It made me doubt if this was the right place for me to be and if this path would satisfy me enough to continue with my apprenticeship. However, every few months my manager or mentor would tell me about someone giving them positive feedback about me and this would be my little boost to keep doing what I was doing.
I have also made many mistakes throughout, but I knew I had a mentor that I could go to for support whenever I wanted and they'd be ready to support me. My mentor is someone in my team that knows the work I'm doing and is also a previous apprentice, therefore had experienced similar things.
"This was a massive confidence boost and allowed me to get advice with both challenges in my job, and with my apprenticeship."
What’s helped you feel supported during your apprenticeship?
I'm super grateful for the support I have from my team and colleagues that allow me to get through challenges and keep developing, they are always there for me and ready to answer my questions, even when we're in the office and I just start talking to them. They are understanding that I'm an apprentice and sometimes I might ask questions that have obvious answers, but they are always ready to help. My apprentice cohort has also supported me with building my personal skills. They were there for me as friendly faces when I was super nervous about the panel discussion, and we encourage each other to go for opportunities we get, like the ambassador opportunity. My Visionpath coach and mentor are my external support when I need an opinion from an outside party, or want to develop my professional skills. They have given me many techniques that I incorporate in my work to manage my time and workload efficiently, and we do different tasks every month to work on skills. They are also there for me when I just need a chat.
"I feel like I have someone to go to for any type of support I need because of the network I've built around me."
What moment made you realise you’d made the right decision choosing an apprenticeship?
I remember the first week of onboarding when I was super excited to get started and felt like I fit in. That was when I knew I chose the right path. Even when the challenges came along the way, I thought back to the first week and how excited I was, and I had to continue with the journey I'd started and not have any regrets. Difficult moments always make you doubt yourself. All the small accomplishments and positive feedback along the way have made me sure that I made the right decision.
Connect with Saleha!
Here at Visionpath, our Ambassador Community is more than just a network, it’s a movement. Our ambassadors are current and former apprentices who are passionate about making a difference by sharing their real-life journeys to inspire the next generation.
Are you a current or former apprentice who wants to get involved in the movement? Email ambassadors@visionpath.co.uk to get started.
