Business administration
Karinna Shields started a Level 2 Business Administration apprenticeship in July 2008 and quickly progressed to a Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeship with Arana Ltd. After she completed her apprenticeship she was offered a full-time administration post but decided to move to a company called Encore Personnel where she was a front desk administrator. As part of that role she had to resource candidates for employment and within 4 years she had become an Account Manager.
Then in July 2013 with her fellow Director Steven Convery, she opened Concur Engineering Career Solutions which recruits personnel and carries out training for engineering companies.
Karinna felt that her apprenticeship played a big part in her achieving her goals because the training was hands-on, it gave her skills and enabled her to understand the world of work very quickly. She also doesn’t feel she would have achieved so much in such little time had she taken a more academic route. Karinna said “an apprenticeship gives young people a second chance if they haven’t succeeded at school; it enables them to gain qualifications relevant to their career and also helps them with core skills in English, Maths and ICT which are invaluable for the rest of their lives.
Karinna is now passing on her experience and skills by investing in an apprentice for Concur Engineering; Jessica Hewitt is now working towards a Level 2 Business Administration Apprenticeship. Karinna is now hoping to grow the business to take on more apprentices and hopefully an Intern from University. Furthermore, they will be opening a branch in Birmingham which will then lead to more apprenticeships and jobs.
Karinna is also working with Henley College, by giving talks to our existing full-time students in Engineering to prepare them for employment within the Engineering sector and she offers work experience for those students as well.
Karinna puts training at the heart of all that they do.