Jamie’s Story

Name: Jamie Sherwood

Course: AAT Accounting Level 3 (currently on level 4)

Employer: St Petrocs

Jamie Sherwood has enjoyed a remarkable journey after starting his Apprenticeship at homeless charity, St Petrocs.

With no prior experience Jamie is now responsible for his own section of the accounts and progressed to the Level 4 Professional Accounting Apprenticeship with the College, in pursuit of his dream to become a chartered accountant and move into a management position.

Jamie joined St Petrocs in September 2020 and has since completed both his Accounts / Finance Assistant Level 2 and Assistant Accountant Level 3 Apprenticeships, with the help of Truro and Penwith College.

Aside from his course results, which have been outstanding, Jamie has also demonstrated his value in the workplace, and his employer has experienced ‘substantial benefits’, with Jamie’s new systems and processes offering valuable cost savings for the charity.

Jamie said: “There can be a stigma that Apprentices are just there to make cups of tea, but it’s not like that at all. With St Petrocs, I feel I’ve been given a lot of responsibility. Instead of shadowing someone, I’ve learnt on the job and I’m responsible for my own section of the accounts, which I really like.

“Our finance team is small, but this has allowed me to work closely with everyone and learn so much from them, I can’t thank them enough for the support they have provided.”

St Petrocs is an organisation Jamie is very proud to work for. He continued: “Our goal as an organisation is to end street homelessness in Cornwall. I feel very proud to be a part of this, in turn I always push myself to increase efficiency and do my part to get us closer towards that goal.”

Jamie’s advice for prospective students who are considering Apprenticeships is: “You get out what you put in so go for it! Apprenticeships are all about learning and development so utilise the knowledge of others around you and don’t be scared to recommend new ideas if you think things can be improved.”

Jamie won the Accountancy Apprentice of the Year award at the 2022 Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards. Speaking on his win, Jamie said: “It felt good to be recognised for my work, I’ve implemented new systems and challenged current processes resulting in a significant reduction in time spent on certain tasks. Recognition of my efforts drives me to maintain this in future.”

Jamie is now studying the Level 4 Professional Accounting Apprenticeship with the College in pursuit of his dream to become a chartered accountant and move into a management position. Jamie said: “I will continue to grow in knowledge and communication skills in order to hopefully move into leadership roles.”

Jamie says his favourite part of his Apprenticeship is: “The personal development I have achieved. I’ve always loved a challenge, coming into my current role with no prior experience was a big jump but I have pushed throughout to improve my skills and learn from others around me to be able to take on more challenging responsibilities. I have gained in confidence and learnt so much.”