As someone who came to the Civil Service without a degree or A-levels, the Ministry of Defence’s Emily Mercer says the Achieving your potential programme put her firmly on the path to management and proved that where you start is no barrier to where you can go.
“The blurb said if you haven’t managed before, this is the place to start,” said the 28-year-old from Bristol. “And I just thought, yes, that’s exactly where I am.”
Emily joined the Ministry of Defence in April 2024 as a business administration apprentice, taking a chance on an organisation she knew nothing about.
“I don’t have A-levels or a university degree,” she said. “The apprenticeship was a good way into the organisation. I just thought, where am I going to be? There’s so much to learn.”
Apprenticeship
Before the Civil Service, Emily had built up a varied experience across hospitality, retail, community care and HR, including a stint working abroad in Australia. She brought that same energy and drive to her apprenticeship from day one.
There was never a guarantee of a permanent role at the end of it. But Emily worked with her team to make it happen and when she crossed the finish line, she did it with a distinction.
“That was one of my goals, to stretch myself and get a distinction,” she said. “Exams have been stressful for me at times, so to push past that and still achieve it was a big deal.”
Next challenge
With her apprenticeship behind her, Emily turned her attention to the next challenge. She had led by example and supported colleagues throughout her career, but formal line management was new territory. When she spotted Achieving your potential programme, the fit felt immediate.
The first module on the programme ‘Managing yourself and working with others’ focuses on self-awareness and managing yourself and for Emily, this set the tone for everything that followed. Growth mindset, communication styles, listening skills and coaching were among the themes that resonated most. She went on to complete an additional Civil Service coaching course off the back of it.
“I’ve got notes in my OneNote, split out by topic, so I can go back through them whenever I need to,” she said. “There’s so much to think about as a manager. It’s brilliant to have it all there.”
Accessible programme
Crucially, Emily found that the programme felt accessible regardless of academic background and that it was written for real workplaces, not lecture theatres.
“It wasn’t complicated language or anything like that,” she said. “It felt very relative to the workplace. It wouldn’t matter if you’d been to university or you hadn’t.”
She has already recommended it to colleagues and has no hesitation doing so.
“I would be highly surprised if anybody went through it and didn’t find it beneficial,” she said. “It just covered all the bases. How to work well with people, how to get the best out of them, how to be adaptable.”
Next steps
Now Emily is looking ahead to her first line management role and when she gets there, she plans to encourage her team to follow suit.
Find out more about Achieving your potential, including how to register.