Lizzie had a place at Cardiff University to study Psychology but was never really keen on the idea of studying for another 3-4 years after sixth form. She started to apply to various apprenticeship schemes and Nathan (now boss of 5 years) came in to talk about the debt he found himself in after university and why young people should consider alternative routes. After being inspired and filled with confidence that a degree wasn’t the only option, Lizzie applied and had her interview. Lizzie’s initial role was as an apprentice with the business development representative job title. Alongside that, did a business course and an indirect tax course. Not only has Lizzie gained qualifications, but also now has a clear path and 4-5 years of experience behind her in the working world… all with no debt!
Innovate Tax believes in nurturing talent and providing growth opportunities. At Innovate Tax “I am grateful to have joined a business that genuinely cares about young people and their future. Without the exposure and experience I have gained, I think I would be lost in deciding which direction to take next. Engaging with internal teams and seeing all the different job roles involved in making a business successful, as well as understanding the skills required for each role, has given me insight into the different departments and helped me determine my desired career path. One of my concerns about working every day was missing out on opportunities, such as university trips or studying abroad for a year. However, I am currently on a secondment in Dubai and have travelled to the US for work on a couple of occasions.” “I think it’s important for young people to understand that full-time education isn’t the only route.” Sammy completed his A-Levels with good grades, and was in the process of applying to some of the top universities while being encouraged to do so by family and teachers etc. However, he knew he didn’t want to continue to be solely in education for any longer and was eager to start working to get his foot in the door of a possible career. Put off by the student debt that would incur and mainly because of how overcrowded the job market was especially for graduates so did not want to face that issue after years of studying. Sammy also thought that future employers may prefer work experience over a degree. The career advisor at his sixth form mentioned apprenticeships as another avenue and was very interested in this approach and started applying. Sammy gained years of experience and skills in a field he believed he’d do very well in. Furthermore, progressed very quickly in his roles and have gained a real head start in my career as opposed to taking the university route. The skills gained will likely be used for the rest of my professional career. “My experience has been great for the most part, as I have mentioned I have gained a lot of experience and skills in a relatively small time that I can take forward in my career. It was challenging at first as there was so much to juggle with learning a lot of new areas at work while keeping on top of the work required for the Level 4 qualification. I have always been interested in travelling and I have been lucky to experience that while working – visiting client sites and events abroad in Europe and America and now on secondment in the UAE.” “Most importantly, I would say, is getting my foot in the door in an industry where I was able to make quick progress. If I joined a larger company as part of a graduate scheme, for example, I believe it would have been harder to advance (a small fish in a big pond).” At Innovate Tax Directly prior to joining the apprenticeship, Connor was just doing labouring with a friend as a stopgap. Besides travelling, he has also worked in the service industry as a lifeguard and then as a department supervisor for a manufacturing company. Connor finished travelling at the age of 25 and needed to start considering pursuing a career. He didn’t want to consider university, as apart from a few professions, didn’t think it really provides any benefits in these current times. Additionally, of course, needed to earn money. Therefore, an apprenticeship made the most sense, allowing Connor to learn and earn at the same time. It has not only allowed him to learn a profession but gave him the opportunity to learn and build general professional skills, which you likely wouldn’t learn if purely doing education. “My experience as an apprentice has been good. At times having to juggle college work/revision with working whilst also trying to maintain a good life balance got tough at times – but it was all worth it in the long run. I believe Innovate Tax are great employers for doing an apprenticeship with, being very considerate and patient whilst on the learning journey, always willing to bend and help when necessary. Outside of the apprenticeship, I have managed to progress within the company, becoming a lead functional on one of our internal apps, Entity Manager, and last year being given the opportunity to move to India to expand and mentor a new wave of functional consultants.” Dakshata entered her first job at Innovate Tax and joined as a Trainee Functional consultant, now she has progressed to an Associate Functional Consultant. She found in the apprenticeship/traineeship route, practical learning is more appealing than traditional classroom-based education. Dakshata found there is more than 90% of the content that was new to her, be it VAT or Oracle or tax technology, or tax solutions. Directly working would have been difficult, but in apprenticeship, she got to learn all of this. “Apprenticeships provided hands-on training, which helped me develop practical skills that are directly applicable to my chosen profession. This leads to a high level of competence and confidence in performing job-related tasks. I’m a kind of introverted person and have self-confidence below the minimum; this route helped me build that.” At Innovate Tax At Innovate Tax Farzin Thakor Before joining Innovate Tax, Farzin had no prior work experience. Initially, Farzin started as a Trainee Functional Consultant at Innovate Tax while he was still a student. After one and a half years, he graduated with a Master’s degree and was promoted to Associate Functional Consultant. This progression reflected the extensive learning and practice he had undergone during his traineeship. He found this path particularly helpful for understanding how to approach opportunities, learning techniques and systems, and practising theoretical knowledge, which ultimately made his work more efficient and increased his confidence. The most important gain from this route was the practical application of theoretical knowledge, which helped him understand working concepts better. This experience enabled him to seize new opportunities, face challenges head-on, and learn from successes and failures. “I had challenges of facing stage fear, opening up for communication with global clients, working with loads of work with relaxation without any pressure and great help and guidance which basically all the freshers or trainees need at this time.” “Overall experience with Innovate till now is the best I can refer to and prefer to, I developed new skills, more capability, more knowledge, activeness, understanding, efficiency, confidence, and much more to come, all thanks to Innovate Tax.” Prior to joining Innovate Tax, Quin had been doing music production, so having an IT/Business-based degree qualification along with their work seemed like a good decision. Before QC started the apprenticeship, they started at Innovate Tax on the Kickstart Scheme that the government had set up to help people during the pandemic. QC started as a Junior Applications Developer Trainee and now has progressed to Applications Developer. Doing a degree apprenticeship means committing to four years of difficult and taxing university-level work for Quin. It’s often hard to balance work for the company and the university, but it’s extremely rewarding to meet deadlines in both cases and be proud of the work. “My experience as a Degree Apprentice has been challenging but rewarding. Balancing work for the company and for the university has been the biggest challenge, but overcoming this has been very satisfying. I have grown quickly in the company to now be the technical lead on many apps and projects, and said growth has felt fantastic.” At Innovate Tax At Innovate Tax Peter completed a Creative Media Technologies and Productions Extended diploma after school. Seeking a career in creative media or marketing, Peter preferred the style of an apprenticeship, gaining practical experience and theoretical context. However, he was unable to gain an apprenticeship after college, partially due to a lack of work experience, so he decided to work full-time in production and design at a local sports and uniform shop. After 2 years, desiring a career more relevant to his diploma and an opportunity to work in marketing, Peter applied for a Digital Marketing apprenticeship at Innovate Tax. He is now currently employed at Innovate Tax and enrolled at Chichester University, studying one day a week for a BSc (Hons) Digital Marketing degree. Since joining, he has been able to learn and complete various new tasks he could not pursue before, with support from in-house training and University teaching. “An apprenticeship is a perfect solution for certain learners and for people deterred by the format of full-time education. Not only is it an opportunity for workplace experience while learning, but the education provides the theoretical support for a contextual workplace task. It has helped me develop as a person and an employee more than my experience in full-time work and education. I receive ongoing support for my University work, and I am always offered support for any assignments or queries I have. Any in-house training for new skills I would like to learn is also encouraged, and it has helped me expand my repertoire within marketing.” “It will always be difficult for anyone to get used to balancing working and studying simultaneously. However, you will get used to it, and it will be worth it in the long run.” We offer in-house and external training to help you achieve your personal learning goals within your job role. It provides an opportunity to earn and gain work experience alongside training/learning. It is an opportunity to get into the industry, without past experience and grow into your role. You will be supported by experts in their field and be provided with additional growth opportunities. Gain relevant experience within the industry you work in and your job role. Innovate Tax offers a variety of opportunities for aspiring members of our team. Apprenticeships focus on being awarded accreditation from position-related courses, whereas a Traineeship offers industry and workplace-specific training. Both are valuable experiences that will depend on the desired position within the company. This varies on the type of training; Apprenticeships have set lengths, such as 4 years for an undergraduate degree, whereas Traineeships can vary in length but are usually shorter. Innovate Tax encourages keeping on staff after completing their training. Every apprentice and trainee at Innovate Tax has stayed on after the completion of their course. They are encouraged to stay on as they have developed into valued members of our team. Apprenticeships offer standardised degrees and diplomas for subjects, whereas Traineeships offer industry-specific accreditations if desired. Click here to view our current vacancies and find out more about joining our team! Apprenticeship & Traineeship Innovators
Meet Our Innovators
Here are our dedicated team members who started as apprentices or trainees and have become integral to our success story. Find out more below.
Account Manager
Lizzie Widdicks
Sammy Tarafdar
Senior Functional Consultant
Senior Functional Consultant
Connor Musk
Dakshata Vyas
Associate Functional Consultant
Senior Functional Consultant
Quin Catherine
Senior Functional Consultant
Digital Marketer
Peter Nicholson
Why Join Us?
Benefits of doing an Apprenticeship or Traineeship with us at Innovate Tax
Grow our own
”Earn and Learn”
Career Prospects
Industry Professional Mentors
Industry Specific Learning
Clients
Some of our global clients include:
FAQ
What are Apprenticeships and Traineeships at Innovate Tax?
What are the lengths of Apprenticeships/Traineeships?
Do apprentices or trainees stay within the business after completing their training?
What qualifications or accreditations can I receive?
Where can I find vacancies?