Bank worker Missy-Anne going for apprenticeship hat-trick
When bank worker Missy-Anne Spence wanted to go for a promotion after a career break, a Modern Apprenticeship in Providing Financial Services helped her progress - and meant she kept earning while she was learning.
Missy-Anne, 30, joined Lloyds Banking Group 12 years ago, starting on part-time hours before becoming the first Lloyds apprentice to complete the full-time Foundation Apprenticeship.
She reached her goal of promotion to a Personal Relationship Manager after successfully completing her Modern Apprenticeship and has applied for a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship - hoping to make it a ‘hat-trick’.
Missy-Anne, of Glasgow, had taken a step back to care for her two young daughters, aged six and five, who have additional support needs. Both are deaf and one is autistic.
But once the girls had settled into school, she wanted to focus on her own development and be a role model for them.
Missy-Anne was absolutely brilliant. Doing her Modern Apprenticeship during the pandemic, while working and looking after her two young daughters, was not without its challenges, but she was very proactive about her learning and keen to progress her career.
Lynne Thomson
Babington Learning Development Practitioner
Missy-Anne said: “Doing the Modern Apprenticeship helped me achieve the promotion that I wanted and opened the doors to learning skills like teamwork, communication and leadership.
“It taught me a lot about myself and helped me rediscover my identity.”
Missy-Anne won Babington’s Apprentice of the Year 2022 award and Lloyds’ Intermediate and Advanced Apprentice of the Year 2022 award.
She volunteers her own time to supports Lloyds' Skills Builder Programme, helping school children to develop their skills.
She regularly shares her own story with other colleagues and prospective apprentices, encouraging them to see how they can progress and develop their own careers without having to go to university.
Missy-Anne sees her role as being to help others develop and succeed.
She helped colleagues with the application process and mentored them through their own apprenticeships during Covid, helping them stay on track while also completing her own apprenticeship.
Learning new skills and developing
And on International Sign Language Day she organised a call for colleagues to raise awareness of the importance of sign language; the entire session was silent as Missy-Anne signed throughout it.
Lloyds Banking Group Apprenticeship Delivery Manager Elaine Cowen said: “We are incredibly proud of Missy-Anne.
“She has shown great resilience; not only is she learning new skills and developing herself, she actively gives back to colleagues too.”
Babington Learning Development Practitioner Lynne Thomson added: “Missy-Anne was absolutely brilliant.
“Doing her Modern Apprenticeship during the pandemic, while working and looking after her two young daughters, was not without its challenges, but she was very proactive about her learning and keen to progress her career.
“She really wanted to go for a promotion and has successfully achieved that.”
Modern Apprenticeships are jobs open to anyone aged 16 and over who wants to work, learn and earn.
Modern Apprentices spend most of their time learning in the workplace while being supported by a local college or specialist training provider to gain an industry recognised qualification.
Missy-Anne’s achievements led to her being a finalist in the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards, in the Modern Apprentice of the Year SCQF Level 6+ category sponsored by the Scottish Training Federation.
Scottish Apprenticeship Awards
Find out about the winners and watch the awards event by visiting apprenticeships.scot.