Life as a Finance Apprentice: Tom Hawkins

Please introduce yourself, Tom.

My name is Tom Hawkins, my role title is a finance centre of excellence (FCoE) Apprentice and a fun fact about me is I love going to concerts! 

What made you choose a Finance apprenticeship?

I never really liked the idea of going to university as I would be away from home a lot, and have a student loan I need to pay back, whereas an apprenticeship meant I could stay at home and make money. Both my parents worked in a finance background and it always seemed like something that can lead to great opportunities. 

What’s a typical day like, and your favourite project so far?

A typical day for me includes processing and coding invoices and credits onto our system to ensure they are paid on time and nothing is missed. My favourite project to work on was the FCoE connect event hosted in April and finding ways in which we could get everyone on the floor to connect and collaborate with one another. 

What surprises people about finance, and your biggest apprenticeship win?

Some things can be relatively straightforward and some other things not so straightforward. But there is always someone who can provide an answer to a question! My most iconic apprenticeship win is the connections I have made with colleagues. Whilst they are my colleagues, they feel like friends and there are countless people on the floor. 

What should people know about apprenticeships?

Depending on your career path I think it can be more helpful than going to university. For example studying accountancy in university provides no experience when it comes to doing the work, and only the theoretical stuff. Whereas an apprenticeship means that I can gain experience whilst also studying the theory.