Our advisers are very special individuals with an abundance of industry experience and a genuine interest in the development of others.
Each one of them works hard to support their CIPD candidates and HR/L&D apprentices throughout every step of their programme and the feedback we receive on Coursecheck is testament to the superb advice they provide. Our advisers really do ensure our business retains that personal touch, something we know all our students greatly value. This regular feature publicly recognises their contribution to your CIPD success!
We asked Emma Taylor, our Apprenticeship Manager, for her advice on achieving that all important HR or L&D apprenticeship along with what she loves most about her job.
Emma’s top tips for apprenticeship success
Don’t be afraid to ask questions or for help. This is your apprenticeship journey, so be open and honest – you have a fantastic network of professionals to help you succeed.
Plan your time. Achieving the off the job training does not need to be challenging if you plan your work and stick to deadlines.
Get to know your Apprenticeship Standards. You are developing your knowledge, skills and behaviours throughout your programme and will be assessed on these during your final End Point Assessment, so always keep them to hand.
About Emma
Emma Taylor was the perfect choice to lead our apprenticeship business when she joined the company in 2021. A Chartered MCIPD, Emma not only had extensive HR experience in a range of sectors but had spent four years as Apprenticeships and Partnerships Manager at New City College in London. Now, as Apprenticeships Manager at Reed Learning, Emma enjoys a busy and varied job looking after a team of apprenticeship tutors and doing everything from supporting her own apprentices to ensuring the quality of our programmes at all three apprenticeship levels.
Emma began her HR career at the Lanesborough, a luxury hotel in Knightsbridge. She loved being part of the hospitality industry and the varied role enabled her to study for her CIPD Level 7 qualification. Emma swapped hospitality for financial services and she spent several years managing the HR function in London for an American loan servicing company. Spells in Hong Kong and a role implementing a new performance management system for a global shipping organisation followed, before she decided to move into further education and her interest in apprenticeships began.
A firm advocate of all apprenticeships – there are some 650 different programmes on the register – Emma loves to see people develop and gain confidence during their training. Apprenticeships, she says, offer a brilliant way for people to build the knowledge and skills they need to grow their HR or L&D career with the support of their employer.
Emma guides both apprentices and employers through the three levels of HR and L&D apprenticeships offered by Reed Learning. Here are two different perspectives of the support she provides:
Employer – Mark Ballard
“Emma is very approachable and can be contacted at any time if she is available to talk. Having an adviser like Emma to call on and clarify things or gain her advice is really helpful.”
Mark Ballard, Operations Director at Leathams
Apprentice – Laura Crowther
“My adviser is Emma Taylor and she’s lovely! She is always there to help and is so kind and patient. Emma is always open and responsive either by email or through our regular progress reviews over Teams to keep me on track. Overall, we have a very good apprentice/adviser relationship. She knows when I need her and when I don’t. I feel comfortable that she will not judge me for asking a ‘silly’ question.”
Laura Crowther, HR Assistant and a Level 3 HR apprentice at Leathams.
