Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2021 – Brandon Canning

Today we talk to Brandon Canning who joined Quorum in 2019, after completing the initial year (Level 6) of his IT Systems & Networking apprenticeship within a law firm. He joined us to complete his Modern Apprenticeship to Level 8.

It was immediately clear that Brandon was invested in his learning and he has never shied away from a challenge! Brandon has thrived within our fast-paced Managed Services team, which has allowed his problem-solving skills to shine. His skill set, maturity, and professional approach have made Brandon a real asset to our team.

Brandon has now completed Level 8 of his Apprenticeship and is making the most of Quorum’s status as a Gold Microsoft Partner and our investment in learning.

“As an apprentice at Quorum, I was able to ease myself into the very varied and technically challenging environment, dealing with a wide variety of clients. Having colleagues that are enthusiastic to work with you and help with mini projects and daily tasks, makes a huge difference.”

What was the best part about doing an apprenticeship?

“Through my time as an apprentice, I have managed to gradually progress into a position that enabled me to take on more responsibility and become a trusted asset to my team. Having dedicated time to learn through courses, coursework and learning resources whilst also having a full-time job and earning a living is super rewarding!”

What is next for you?

“For now, I’m focussing on becoming certified in a variety of areas including Veeam, ITIL and Microsoft products to gain experience and further my knowledge on the products and services we support daily.”

How did you find juggling working full time and doing your apprenticeship?

“I found that the mix of studying and full-time work was managed well by my line manager and mentor as I could schedule my time for courses, coursework and studying and could easily jump back into the service desk to work on outstanding tasks or new service requests or incidents.”

Did you get enough support from your team?

“The team have been great! When I first joined Quorum, I didn’t have the best knowledge or understanding of anything further than first-line support. The team happily answered any of my questions and often allowed me to shadow on areas to which I had not been exposed to before such as backups, servers, virtual machines and much more.”

What would you say to anyone thinking of starting an Apprenticeship?

“Do not hesitate! The best way to learn is to be hands-on and working on service requests, incidents, and projects to get a broader understanding of what is expected in a technical services environment – Something you’d miss if you go to university instead!”

From the start Brandon really hit the ground running, so much so colleagues forgot he was actually an apprentice! Brandon has really thrived in his role and is an integral part of our Managed Services Team. 

We would highly recommend the apprenticeship scheme to anyone looking to invest in their future workforce. We have found it to be a highly rewarding and fulfilling experience. Apprentices bring a fresh outlook into our teams and we look forward to engaging with more apprentices in the future.