National Apprenticeship Week 2026

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week we spoke to Maya, Finance Apprentice at YMCA Humber.

"During my time in school and further education, I loved learning and thoroughly enjoyed 
the subjects I studied; however, I always needed a little extra support due to my inability 
to fully grasp the theoretical side of my studies. I chose an apprenticeship as it still 
allowed me to learn but also allowed me to experience and witness real life examples of 
the things that I had studied- something that purely academic learning could not 
provide me. 

I chose to complete an Apprenticeship with YMCA Humber due to the nature of the 
organisation itself- being born in and growing up in a nationally recognised deprived area, 
it meant a lot to me to be able to work for a company who supports the community 
around us. 

When I was younger, I always wanted to do something revolving around numbers, there 
was always a definite answer, no maybes or depends like English. As I grew up and my 
skills developed, I realised that finance was the career path that suited me, and one 
that I would fully enjoy. 

During my Apprenticeship, I have learnt some valuable skills that I would not 
have learnt going down the traditional, fully academic route. It has brought me 
confidence in my abilities, no longer constantly having to ask if my work is up to 
standard in fear of failure, it has helped to shape me into the person that I wish to be 
and I cannot be more thankful. 

Additionally, the team at YMCA Humber has been nothing but supportive of me, I am not 
afraid to ask for help from anybody and they are more than willing to offer a helping 
hand and I am incredibly grateful for my co-workers for making this experience so 
enjoyable for me."