Whoever said parenting “gets easier” clearly hadn’t factored in that your child will always be your child, even when they’re a young adult making their own way in the world.
As a parent, there are few things quite as hard as watching your child make decisions about their education or career that could affect the rest of their lives.
But mum-of-one Erica Dean believes that standing back and letting her daughter, Georgia, make her own decisions has been key to Georgia forging a career path that allows her to flourish.
Georgia, 20, studied business at college. She began applying for apprenticeships in 2017 and is now 18 months into a business apprenticeship with Dixons Carphone.
Erica says she was aware of the opportunities that an apprenticeship would offer her daughter, but she wasn’t prepared for how hard she’d have to work to secure one.
“As a parent, I don’t think you appreciate the hoops your child will have to jump through just to get to the interview stage, or how competitive it can be – they have to complete an online application form and submit a video application before they even make it that far,” she says.
Georgia spent a year applying for apprenticeships and was invited to interviews with Morrisons, L’Oreal and Coca-Cola before accepting a place with Dixons Carphone.
“There was very little we could do to support her through the application process, but that’s all part of growing up – you can’t go to work for your children, they have to do it for themselves,” says Erica.
“She went to London by herself for the interview, which was nerve-wracking for us, but we had to trust her and she had to trust she could do it.”
Not all parents feel informed about what modern apprenticeships can offer their children. Erica feels going to college rather than staying on at school afforded her daughter more opportunities to explore apprenticeships.
But for parents who have always assumed their son or daughter will go to university, adjusting to life with a young apprentice living at home can be a challenge.
Erica, however, wouldn’t change a thing. “There’s no buying pots and pans and dragging them halfway up the country, and yet Georgia isn’t missing out on the university lifestyle,” she says.
“She completed six weeks of training at Sheffield Hallam University during the first year of her apprenticeship, and she will come out with no debt because she is being paid while she learns and they’re covering her university costs.”
If Erica could offer advice to parents of other would-be apprentices, she’d recommend that they step back.
“Let them make mistakes, because if they mess up their first application, they’ll know by their second one what not to do,” she says.
“It’s tempting to keep snapping at their heels and asking if they’ve done this or that, but give them space to grow and time to complete the application. Trust that in the end, it’ll all be worthwhile.”
