To mark this year’s celebration of National Apprenticeship Week (7th – 13th February), Callum Donnelly from 3EN is sharing his story of how joining a successful team as a placement student helped build his confidence and develop his communication skills.
National Apprenticeship Week is an annual week-long celebration to recognise and applaud success through apprenticeships, providing employers with the opportunity to promote the importance and value of trusting the leaders of tomorrow.
Bellaghy-born Callum Donnelly (20) joined Holywood-based cloud solutions company 3EN’s Client Services team in July 2021 on a placement year from his Business Management degree programme at Queen’s University. Callum’s role at 3EN allows him to work on supporting and developing clients such as MedGuard and AMCS using Oracle NetSuite.
3EN is a firm believer in the value of placement opportunities for students. Not only does the company offer students valuable work experience, but it also provides an abundance of insight and understanding of how a workplace operates by integrating the students fully into the team.
For the past four years, 3EN has offered a range of opportunities to students and graduates from local universities. The opportunities include work placements, sponsorships, and jobs with the aim of temporary employees joining the company on a long-term, permanent basis. Today, more than one in ten of the company’s workforce are former participants in its placement programmes.
Callum explains how the various experiences he’s had at 3EN will shape his approach to the final year of his degree. “I have seen a huge increase in my confidence since starting out with 3EN, especially in terms of adjusting to the professional world, as it was all new to me. My communication skills have hugely improved through daily client calls; knowing how to professionally communicate with people is a great skill to have developed. It’s one thing to read books and write essays about professional communication, but it’s completely different getting out and doing it.”
Speaking on a typical day at 3EN, Callum added:
“We start the morning with a team call to see how everyone’s projects are progressing and if anyone needs a hand. I’ll then pick up any cases clients have put in and go on calls with clients to see if they’re having any issues. It has been great getting an insight into the processes behind other businesses rather than just the one.”
The ultimate goal for Callum is to one day lead his own tech business to success. However, he recognises that it’s important to get the skills and experience necessary to ensure growth and prosperity as a future business owner.
“3EN is somewhere I can get experience to see how a business can be successful and have hands-on experience of what goes into the day-to-day running of a company,” he said. “These are the insights needed to be able to go forward with my own vision in the future.”
Callum continues: “If you’re thinking of applying for a role with 3EN, grasp it with both hands. From day one you will feel welcomed and accommodated. 3EN will really build your character – it’s truly a great place to work.”
Callum has been invited to continue working with the 3EN team on a part-time basis while he completes his degree in the academic year 22/23, with a bright future ahead post-graduation.
Dale Cree, CEO of 3EN added:
“We are passionate about helping to engage and inspire the next generation through providing opportunities for up-and-coming young professionals to learn from an experienced team and expand their skillset. Callum is an asset to our team and is brilliant at what he does. It’s great to have such bright young minds on the 3EN team and we’re all proud of Callum’s progression.
“I’d encourage businesses of all shapes and sizes to consider creating graduate training, apprenticeships, and placement programmes to help unearth the next generation of business leaders, in whatever field you operate in.”
For other Northern Ireland students considering a placement or apprenticeship opportunity, Callum has some words of advice. “Time spent in an industry really helps identify the areas you can see yourself working towards on a long-term basis. You will receive hands-on experience that will shape you into the best version of your professional self; confident and ready for any challenge.”
To find out more about current opportunities available at 3EN visit https://3en.group/careers
Discover more from LoveBelfast
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
