National Apprenticeship Week: Q&A with Mickey Maloney

At Telent, we are dedicated to nurturing talent through our apprenticeship programs, which offer practical experience, professional qualifications, and a supportive learning environment. This blog features insights from our apprentices, including a Mickey Maloney a Apprentice ICT Solutions Engineer. National Apprenticeship Week 2025, taking place from 10th to 16th February, will highlight the positive impact of apprenticeships. It showcases how apprentices can help individuals build skills and benefit businesses by filling skills gaps and driving growth.

As much as I loved education, I wanted some life experience instead. I didn’t like the idea of going into debt, and the possibly choosing a course I’d go on to regret. I wanted to get my career kick-started and work towards progressing in the working world. Being paid to learn, instead of paying to learn, seemed like a no-brainer to me. You get the best of both worlds with an apprenticeship.

A family member's friend spoke to me about his time at Telent, and it sounded good to me. Admittedly, I didn’t know about Telent until I applied, but when I saw how much they do across the country and how many different departments there are, I was intrigued. I thought it would be especially useful as if I wanted some exposure to a different department to see what they do and how they operate, it would be easily accessible. I also liked the benefits offered. Grey Dawes is useful as I travel a lot for my role, and it means I’m never out of pocket as I can book directly through the system. The support offered was a big factor for me too. Additionally, there are plenty of free resources for physical and mental wellbeing which I have taken advantage of.

I’ve always been a people person, but I’ve really seen my professional relationship network skyrocket. I gained a lot more confidence in speaking with new people and learned how to build up and maintain professional relationships. I’ve also learned why this is beneficial for my future. This, amongst other things, is something that translates to my personal life and can be applied there too. My technical knowledge has come on very strongly too. I’ve been given access to an abundance of resources to further my education.

Outward Bound was one of the best experiences I’ve had since being at Telent. I knew from when it was mentioned at the induction that it was going to be amazing. As my department only had 3 apprentices, it was nice to be able to speak to other apprentices and graduates and see what they do day to day. It was also a great confidence booster. I also especially loved the induction. It was a great start to my apprenticeship.

I have been heavily involved in a project which involved onboarding a huge number of new employees and I was able to try and give them the best possible induction, just like I received.

My college provider is BRAGD. It is all online and I am working towards a Level 3 IT solutions technician. I also get a CompTIA+ certificate.

I was browsing online for tech/computing apprenticeships. A family member's friend used to work here, so I asked him a few questions, and it seemed like a good match.

I’m hoping to get a wholistic experience of the industry, see what I think suits me best and work towards that. I get a lot of exposure to different parts of the company, so I’m not limited on options. The qualification I receive will help progressing a career in IT-based roles, even if it's not a technical one.

My apprenticeship course covers a very broad range of modules, including project management, so I’ll gain a wealth of knowledge upon completion allowing me to go in many different career directions.

• Helped me gain confidence in myself, and my work knowledge.
• Helped build my work network which will certainly benefit me in my career in and outside of Telent.
• Gave me a good introduction to my career, built up fundamental life skills, and mapped out my options for progression in the future.