Apprenticeship Week | Gabriel Ebireri

It’s Apprenticeship Week, and as a business, we’ve experienced firsthand the immense value apprentices bring. With six talented apprentices making a real impact, we’re proud to showcase their development and highlight the importance of this program.

One shining example is Gabriel, our IT Technician, who recently achieved a distinction. His technical expertise, especially in cybersecurity, continues to grow, strengthening both his skills and our business.

​

Gabriel chose an apprenticeship as a way to dive deeper into his genuine interest in cybersecurity. He saw it as an ideal opportunity to build his skills, gain hands-on experience, and position himself for a new role within the company. In fact, he even considered the possibility of creating a new role for himself based on the expertise he developed during the program.

Throughout his apprenticeship, Gabriel acquired a wide array of valuable skills that were directly applicable to his career. These included areas such as security incident management response, scripting, threat hunting, maintaining security controls and procedures, and risk identification and categorisation. He also became proficient in vulnerability management, risk escalation, the ISO 27001 framework, traffic analysis, compliance management, patching, and understanding various attack surfaces and vectors. These skills have not only been useful in his current role but have also paved the way for future career opportunities.

However, the apprenticeship wasn’t without its challenges. One of the biggest obstacles Gabriel faced was balancing his apprenticeship with his regular job. The program was highly practical and intensive, requiring significant time and effort. As someone new to the cybersecurity field, he had to quickly adapt and immerse himself in a completely unfamiliar area. Despite these challenges, Gabriel found the experience to be incredibly rewarding and beneficial to his professional development.

Looking back, Gabriel emphasises the importance of hands-on experience and the value of applying theoretical knowledge in real-world scenarios. He encourages anyone considering an apprenticeship to take the plunge, highlighting the fact that apprenticeships can provide years of experience while simultaneously preparing individuals for full-time roles.

His advice to future apprentices is simple but powerful: be proactive, stay engaged, and stay organised. With so much to learn, it’s crucial to manage both work and assignments effectively. As Gabriel puts it, "The more you put in, the more you’ll get out of it."

Gabriel’s journey stands as a testament to the value of apprenticeships in developing career-ready skills and advancing within a chosen field, especially one as dynamic and vital as cybersecurity.

​

 If you are looking for an apprenticeship visit: Find an apprenticeship - GOV.UK