Katie and Maria were the first two apprentices to be appointed by the IoH in its 84-year history and both joined in 2021. Excited at being apprenticeship trailblazers for the IoH and being involved in the hospitality industry, we spoke to them both to find out more about their journeys so far and how they are helping to #BuildTheFuture.
Tell us a little more about yourself and your career to date?
Katie:
I graduated in 2002 from the University of East Anglia with a degree in English and History. Having no idea what career path I wanted to follow or what I wanted to do, I “fell” into a recruitment role. After a few years, I was working for a leading recruitment company in the City of London, recruiting for the Charity and Not for Profit Sector. I loved the job and managed a number of big charity accounts giving me a good insight into how they worked. It was in this role that I knew I wanted to ultimately work in the Charity sector.
After a long period on maternity leave and various jobs to fit around my boy’s schedules, I was offered a position at a small membership organisation focusing on membership, corporate members and events – the IoH! I joined them in June 2021 and started my apprenticeship in November and it’s been an amazing rollercoaster so far!
Maria:
I am Spanish and have a bachelor’s degree in marketing. After studying for three years in Spain and 1 year in Italy on the Erasmus programme, I finished my degree and worked in Italy in customer service related jobs for three years and studied English for almost a year with the idea of moving to the UK to develop my professional career. When I moved to the UK I lived in Loughborough, East Midlands, while working as a flight attendant for around six months. I then moved to London to start my career in the event’s industry. I joined the IoH in September 2021 as an events administrator on an IoH apprenticeship. I like this sector because I can meet a lot of different people from all over the world, have great job variety and the reward for me is seeing people happy when an event meets or even exceeds their expectations.
What’s the best thing working for the Institute of Hospitality?
Katie:
The people, definitely the people. I have never worked in an organisation where everyone is so genuinely passionate about the work that they do. Everyone in the IoH team has made me so welcome and supportive since I started last year. We all work so well as a team no matter what department we are in. Our Business Partners and members are also wonderful to work with, it’s been so enjoyable getting to know and build relationships with them. Everyone is just so friendly!
Maria:
The thing I like the most is the opportunity to meet and connect with new people. The IoH has a big network that is increasing, so I always see new people at our events. I meet people from different career paths, different cultures and countries and this allows me to learn and understand the hospitality sector from diverse points of view. Also, I love the fact that most of the events are set in beautiful and wonderful venues so I can discover London and the UK even more!
You are one of the first two apprentices to be taken on by the IoH. What does it mean to you?
Katie:
Being chosen to undertake the Business Administration apprenticeship has been a great opportunity for me. Since starting, I have undertaken a variety of workshops alongside others who work in similar roles and have covered a range of different topics which assist me with my role here at the IoH. I have found that it has helped me develop my ways of thinking and how I approach my work and manage projects. It’s good to be kept on your toes!
Maria:
I am very happy that the IoH gave me this opportunity. I am almost new to the events field and this is something I have wanted to try for a while, so I am very thankful. This apprenticeship is perfect for me to learn from my colleagues, to develop new skills, to improve mine, and to see how the industry works. Since I have joined the IoH I have met people from whom I can learn and have visited stunning places. I like working at the IoH because there is always something going on.
Why do you think others should say #imin to the Institute of Hospitality?
Katie:
You should say #imin because here at the IoH we strive to do our best for our members, whether that’s providing CPD, holding amazing events or simply being at the end of the phone for you. The IoH is one big hospitality family!
Maria:
Because it is a big organisation that promotes hospitality in a beautiful way, that helps individuals from all different ages. It helps young people develop their careers and enter the hospitality sector, network and create new contacts, get recognised and share their expertise. I think it offers many great features that help everyone love this industry. Of course, the IoH also allows a huge number of individuals to make many new friends.
New for 2022: Introducing Wonderful, Worst and Weird! What’s the most wonderful, the worst and the downright weirdest thing to happen to you during your career?
Katie:
Wonderful… Finally working in the sector that I wanted to all those years back; finding a role that allows me to work with some pretty amazing people and have the opportunity to visit some beautiful venues.
Worst… Working for one company where there were awful working conditions: no running water, no heating, rats in the back room, constant flies landing on everyone and no breaks! Suffice to say I didn’t stay there long!
Weird… This is going back a long time when I had a weekend job at a theme park! A call came through before the park opened, telling us to shut ourselves in the small outdoor building we worked in as there was an escaped zoo animal on the loose!
Maria:
Wonderful… The chance to travel and discover the world. I have lived in three different countries and five different cities during my career, and I consider myself very lucky because of it! Travelling is a learning experience, it has helped me to understand and tolerate differences in cultures.
Worst… So far the worst thing has been trying to start my career. It is hard to find someone who gives you the chance to do what you really want to do when you have freshly graduated and don’t have any experience. I have tried to get my foot in the door of the events industry for a while but it hasn’t been easy. I ended up doing jobs I wasn’t really interested in while waiting for a job in events. But here I am now!
Weird… More than weird I would say funny! When I was working in retail before joining the IoH I once had a customer who asked me for a specific piece of clothing but I didn’t know the word at that time, so I ended up giving her a different product! It was funny because she said it was very nice but it wasn’t what she was asking me for!
The IoH supports National Apprenticeship Week #NAW2022.
Connect with Katie on LinkedIn | Connect with Maria on LinkedIn
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