At FlyForm, we believe in investing in the future – particularly when it comes to talent. We sat down with one of our apprentices, Luke Mitchell, to find out how he’s finding life at FlyForm and how it’s helping shape his career in ServiceNow.
Nothing teaches you quite like experience. But it’s not always easy to know where to begin, or where to look for the opportunity.
That’s why we started our apprenticeship scheme – to open the door and work with local universities to help get new talent into the ServiceNow space.
We recently caught up with Luke Mitchell to see how he’s found being a FlyForm apprentice, what a typical day looks like for him and what advice he’d give to anyone else considering an apprenticeship with us.
Hi Luke! Could you give us an introduction to yourself and your role?
Sure! Hi, my name’s Luke, I’m 21 and famously FlyForm’s first apprentice.
I started off working in the Support team as a Junior Developer in 2020 and, as of September 2022, I was promoted to a Technical Consultant in the Platform Maintenance team.
This includes working on platform upgrades, enhancing client instances and much more!
Great, thanks Luke. So, how did you become aware of FlyForm’s apprentice programme and what made you want to join?
I became aware of the apprenticeship programme via LinkedIn, I had connected with Phil and Arron (the founders of FlyForm) and we got talking.
One thing led to another and they offered me a place at FlyForm as an apprentice. I had been interviewing elsewhere at the same time, as I had just finished college and was working part-time at McDonald’s to fund my 18-year-old lifestyle.
Once the offer came in, I knew it was the right place for me. I’d heard a lot about ServiceNow and how good a tool it is to work with and the culture at FlyForm seemed to suit me well. I related with a lot of the values and it quickly seemed like a second home.
How have you found being an apprentice so far? What have you enjoyed or found challenging?
So far, it’s been great. I’ve just passed my second year and am now heading into my third.
Last year I was promoted to the Platform Maintenance team, this was a great booster for me and since then I have been excelling in my personal development.
Alongside working at FlyForm, I’ve been studying for a BSC in Digital and Technology Solutions at the University of South Wales. It’s been a great opportunity to gain a degree whilst working at the same time.
What’s more, working at a partner to a top 10 Forbes company is great – I can use all my experience and learnings to support my university work.
What’s been challenging? The only challenge I can think of is that sometimes it can be a bit full-on, but I usually overcome this by ensuring I take a break, whether that be going for a run or going to my local tennis club to practice some serves.
How do you find the balance between studying and working?
At first, I found it quite difficult to be honest with you. Work and university are two very different things and I struggled to fit my university work in and to study.
However, once I found what worked for me, it was much easier to balance work, university, and my life outside of both!
I aim to complete what I can within the working week, on Fridays I complete my university work, whether that be assignments or lectures, and then the weekends are for me.
I didn’t follow this routine originally and my weekends were then taken up with university work. Now that I’ve found the balance it’s much better – there’s less stress on me and more work done within the team.
Glad to hear you found a system that gives you that work-life balance! So, what does a typical day look like for you?
Normally, we start with our daily stand-up call. This is just to check in on how we’re all doing, sort out any issues and share what we plan on doing today.
Once we have our standup, we’re then free to get stuck into the day’s tasks! Often I’ll then speak with a client to understand what they want to do in their next development cycle before continuing any other enhancements.
My days are never the same, one day I could be working on a client’s upgrade and the next I might be working on enhancements to a client’s home portal page. It changes daily and that’s what I like about my role – no two days are ever the same.
How is FlyForm supporting your development and what’s next for you?
FlyForm is supporting my development greatly, I’ve been able to thrive in my role and push towards a technical role within the first two years of my employment.
As well as this, I’ve also been able to excel within my degree, passing the first two years of my course with the help of my colleagues whilst having the flexibility to prepare for exams when I need to.
FlyForm has also allowed me to develop my understanding of the Now Platform. I’ve completed multiple training courses within ServiceNow to help me further develop my knowledge.
All in all, FlyForm has been a great help over the last two years and I can’t wait to complete another two and a half years with them!
Glad to hear it, and we’re happy to have you here, Luke! What advice would you give someone thinking about applying to FlyForm as an apprentice?
I think one piece of advice I’d give is to just go for it.
If it wasn’t for FlyForm I’d be in the last year of my degree not knowing what I want to do. Degree apprenticeships open up so many opportunities and it’s a great way to learn the world of work, get paid and get a degree at the same time.
It means that there’s no debt at the end of your degree, and you have a head start on everyone else finishing university as you’ll already have four and a half years of experience!
If you want to know more about my experience as an apprentice, I’d be happy to give some advice or point you in the right direction, so contact me on LinkedIn and let’s chat!
Sound like something you want to be a part of?
We’re always looking for talented people to join the FlyFam. If you like the sound of joining us as an apprentice, why not shoot us an email via our careers form to see if your future could begin at FlyForm?
