Apprenticeships bring big benefits at Benefit UK

What do you get if you take a national cosmetics business, and add in some hard-working apprentices? Some great feedback and some big benefits, according to Liam Adams, Learning and Development Coordinator at Benefit Cosmetics UK. For National Apprenticeship Week, Liam explains what #lifeatbenefit is like for their recent apprentices….

I’m the Learning and Development Coordinator at the UK head office of Benefit Cosmetics, and work closely with all our apprentices, their line managers and the apprenticeship providers each week.

We have apprentices in all different areas of the business – from HR & Recruitment, to Marketing and Visual Merchandising. It’s been great to see them all come together with regular apprentice lunches and team builds, and to see each of them build on their knowledge and confidence in the workplace.

We have a work hard, play hard attitude here and have been lucky to find apprentices who have strong personalities and have fitted into the world of Benefit so well.  Each apprentice gives so much in their job roles and their coursework. We plan regular reviews with their line managers and our HR Director to make sure they are progressing and achieving all their objectives. We’ve had nothing but great feedback from everyone at the office.

We also had a graduation party at the office for our 7 apprentices who passed all their exams in 2019 to celebrate everything they have achieved. It was a great way to congratulate those who have secured a permanent position here at head office. We now have 11 apprentices still with us and we know that they will all have the same positive result in 2020/2021.

A big thank you to our tutors from Lifetime and Arch who have been a great support, and who have worked well with me and all our teams here at head office.

We, at Benefit, cannot wait to see what 2020 brings #lifeatbenefit.

“The opportunities are endless”

I’m currently on the Benefit Cosmetics Apprenticeship Scheme, working in the marketing department. At nearly a year into this programme, I’ve not had one day where I’ve dreaded getting up for work. I’m very lucky that I’m able to come to a pink palace every day, surrounded with lovely and hard-working people. As well as this, I couldn’t be luckier to have such an amazing and supportive manager and team, they always make sure that I’m tracking where I should be, are there for every question I ask and help me with any problem I’m struggling to solve.

In my apprenticeship the opportunities are endless, which is another reason why I love being an apprentice! I’ve been able to explore other areas outside my team such as working at external events and seeing what the digital team does. Therefore, I’ve been able to improve my skills and gain new ones as well as learn new things and expand my knowledge in other areas.

I also have monthly meetings with an excellent trainer – who is super helpful at answering and solving any apprenticeship qualification questions I have, and who also pushes me to be achieve what she knows I can achieve (like my team) even when I’m doubtful.

Overall, being an apprentice has given me more confidence, pushed me out of my comfort zone, and allowed me to experience things I never thought I would (because who would have thought they would be sculpting brows in a gym!) as well as the opportunity to build new, amazing friendships.”

Amy Del Pizzo, Marketing apprentice at Benefit UK.

“I’ve loved watching my design briefs come to life with every launch”

After finishing my A-Levels in June 2019, I knew that a career in Marketing is what I wanted to pursue, especially within the make-up industry! However, I didn’t want to go to University… I wanted to gain real workplace skills and knowledge immediately in something I had a real passion and drive for.

Studying Business Administration Level 3 in the field of Retail Marketing, the organisation has enabled me to gain independence when completing tasks; extend my knowledge further from just marketing to financial budgeting and analytical data, and even utilise my skills as a Make Up Artist for public events around the UK!

I’ve also loved watching my design briefs come to life with every launch that I work on – from the initial planning, to the final product being launched on counter. It really does make you proud to be an apprentice working in a great organisation!

With the help of Benefit Cosmetics UK, transitioning from a sixth-former to an apprentice has been an amazing experience. The instant hands-on training that I have received has really allowed me to grow as an employee and I can’t wait to extend my skills and knowledge further into the future towards completing my qualification.

Becoming an apprentice has honestly been the best decision I have made, and I have joined a company who are now more like family!”

Hermione Cole, Marketing Apprentice at Benefit UK