By Josh Bratt – Customer Care Specialist Apprentice
A new chapter in professional development
I’m Josh and I’ve been at HTE for just over a year now. I’m coming towards the end of my Level 3 Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship, which began in November 2025. When I started this apprenticeship, I’d been working in the hospitality industry for over a decade, building my customer service skills without any qualifications or training to show for it, so was very happy when I got the opportunity to do this course and to build on my knowledge and skills, as well as ultimately helping towards my career development.
“My apprenticeship has helped me in my role, and my role has helped me in my apprenticeship.” – Josh Bratt
Stepping outside my comfort zone
It was a big adjustment at first – I’ve never done anything like an apprenticeship, and I haven’t been in an education setting since I was a teenager (a scarily long time ago!). Also, I’d only just started a brand-new job in a brand-new industry which was scary enough, and there were moments where I doubted if I could handle taking it on or if I’d maybe made a mistake.
Finding confidence through support
I had some worries and some teething problems at first, but as time went on and I got stuck in with the work and I got to know my trainer and some of the other learners better, it’s become a rewarding experience. I’ve had amazing support from my training provider Babington, my line manager and the rest of my team and my trainer made it clear from the beginning that she’d help me every step of the way, and that I’m always welcome to email her or arrange a meeting if I need more support or I just want to chat.
From challenge to achievement
I’m now nine months into it, and I’m so grateful that I gave it a chance and took on the challenge. It’s helped with my work in Customer Care, and I’ve been able to apply new things that I’ve learned both ways – my apprenticeship has helped me in my role, and my role has helped me in my apprenticeship. I’m coming towards my end-point assessment and final project now, and even though it’s scary (does anyone enjoy exams or doing presentations?), I can’t wait to look at a complete portfolio of work and think “wow, I did this” and be able to present that as best as I can.
Growing professionally and personally
I’ve learned a lot in my year at HTE – as well as my apprenticeship, I’ve been able to do First Aid training, Fire Warden training, I took part in the 7 Habits of Highly Successful People training and I’ve been able to learn more about an industry that I didn’t even know existed before starting here! I’m very grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given to grow and develop my skills, not just professionally but personally too, and look forward to many more…
Stay tuned for more stories from colleagues across HealthTrust Europe.
