Climbing my career ladder: Erin's story

How an apprenticeship at NEC Software Solutions transformed Erin Alderson’s career. Erin studied Business Administration with Hartlepool College and now works as a Business Support Officer at NEC. She completed her apprenticeship in March 2025.

Erin wasn't sure what would come next for her. She had studied public services at college with an ambition towards joining the police, but when she completed her course, that path felt less certain. She knew university wasn't for her, so she went looking.

"I was just searching online to get a feeling of what was available out there," she recalls. "I came across an apprenticeship at NEC Software Solutions, did my research, and it looked incredibly interesting. It's probably the best decision I ever made."

Erin was 20 years old when she started her Business Administration apprenticeship in September 2024. By March 2025, she had completed it, and been offered a permanent role.

NEC Software Solutions works closely with local councils, providing IT infrastructure, logistics and facilities support. As an apprentice, Erin found herself at the centre of it all: managing stock control, supporting hardware procurement, handling laptop repairs, and building IT skills she had never formally been taught.

The decision to offer Erin a permanent position came as no surprise to her managers, Nicola Allan and Donna Easby, who said: "Erin joined us after really impressing in her interview. She came across as level-headed, genuine and friendly, making her a great fit for our team. Since then, she has worked across the business, collaborating with multiple teams and quickly becoming both the voice and face of the Hartlepool office, as well as a real go-to person for colleagues."

"I never really knew how to do admin, until I did admin," Erin laughs. "Every day is a learning day with an apprenticeship, and admin is fundamental to every organisation, so there’s always new skills to develop. I feel like my knowledge has just grown and grown.”

Alongside her IT work, she also took on a facilities role, and discovered a real affinity for it. One of the largest projects she contributed to during her apprenticeship was the redevelopment of the new Highlight Active Wellbeing Hub near Hartlepool Marina - a development with close links to other curriculum areas at Hartlepool College. Erin’s team at NEC handled server infrastructure, IT planning, and planning permissions for this exciting project bringing leisure and fitness facilities to the town. Erin has even gone on to record for the Highlight's telephone lines - if you call the Hub, you will hear her voice!

While this large-scale development marked a major aspect of Erin’s apprenticeship, it was a much simpler idea, growing into a company-wide service improvement, that Erin is perhaps most proud of. Noticing that reporting building issues meant staff had to identify the issue while away from their desks, then go back to their desks and write up an email to the correct person, Erin asked herself whether there was a faster way. The answer was a QR code.

She placed codes around offices, kitchens, corridors and toilets across the building, each linking to a Microsoft form. Staff could scan, fill in their name and location, and submit a report in as little as ten seconds, all from their phone, wherever they happened to be.

"I thought: everyone's always got their phone on them," she explains. "Especially working in an IT company, everyone knows how to use a QR code and a form. It cost nothing to make. It took little time to set up."

The results spoke for themselves. The system proved so popular that it has since been rolled out across all fifteen of NEC’s UK offices.

"I can't overstate how well this idea has been taken up across the company," she says. "I was dead proud."

Erin is candid that juggling college work alongside a busy job wasn't always straightforward, but she found a way through. "It went through phases of being more manageable, but then it was hard," she admits. "We had projects coming in and out constantly, and I needed to prioritise supporting my team. But my manager allocated protected time to allow me to focus on my college work and colleagues were really understanding, which made all the difference." 

Having completed her apprenticeship, Erin now works as a Business Support Officer at NEC, helping manage the Hartlepool office - a step up in responsibility that reflects the impact she made during her apprenticeship. Looking ahead, she draws inspiration from her manager, an engagement coordinator who travels between offices across the UK and internationally. "I just want to live up to her," Erin says. "Explore different offices, meet new people, carry out more projects, and climb my career ladder."

For anyone sitting where Erin was two years ago - uncertain, unsure, and interested in the possibilities offered by an apprenticeship - she has one thing to say. "Just do it. I feel like some people worry they won’t be valued as an apprentice in the companies they work for, but in my experience, you are valued even more so as an apprentice. Ultimately, you are the support they need - apprentices do really important work in every company. In my case, for example, I was supporting two teams at once. You will become an asset, even if you don't initially feel like you are. So just take that leap and it will take you far."