From Apprentice to
Training Coordinator
Learn more about Laurie’s journey and discover how varied an apprenticeship at SOCITAS can be.
Laurie’s Story at SOCITAS
Copilot said: Sometimes, the best career paths emerge when everything was originally planned quite differently. That was also the case for Laurie: after leaving university and taking an extended break for health reasons, she found herself wondering at the age of 19 what her professional future might look like. The answer came surprisingly quickly—and rather spontaneously: an apprenticeship at SOCITAS..
What began rather unexpectedly became a place where Laurie could find her footing, grow, and discover her own path in IT. Today, she works across development, consulting, and the Project Management Office (PMO). As Training Coordinator, she also helps shape how young people at SOCITAS take their first steps towards their professional future.
From Following Along to Helping Shape the Future
Laurie´s entry into IT didn’t follow a traditional path. Although she had already developed an interest in computer science at school, she didn’t have a typical “techie” background. She had no laptop of her own, no years of programming experience, and no clear plan to pursue a career in software development. What Laurie did bring, however, were logical thinking, curiosity, and a willingness to embrace something new.
During her apprenticeship at SOCITAS, she started out primarily in support. This provided the ideal environment for getting started: instead of spending months working on large development projects right away, she was able to familiarise herself with the various topics step by step through smaller requests and manageable tasks.
In doing so, she quickly learned how the different areas work together in day-to-day operations:
- Understanding technical fundamentals and applying them in practice
- Assessing customer enquiries and developing suitable solutions
- Learning about business processes
- Taking on initial programming tasks
- Gaining insights into consulting, support, and development
Copilot said: Development Without Being Pigeonholed
Rather than moving into a traditional developer role after her apprenticeship, Laurie took on a varied position that combines several different areas. Today, she works in development, takes on consulting responsibilities, contributes to the Project Management Office (PMO), and supports organisational tasks. This variety is exactly what Laurie values most. Doing the same task in the same way over and over again would become too monotonous for her in the long run. Instead, she enjoys exploring new topics, gaining different perspectives, and continuously taking on new challenges.
Between Development, Consulting, and Organisation
Laurie’s broad range of responsibilities today is largely rooted in her apprenticeship. Starting out in support gave her early insights into a variety of areas, including technical enquiries, smaller development tasks, customer situations, and consulting activities. Over time, this evolved into a role in which she can contribute across many different fields. She currently works in the Project Management Office (PMO), among other areas. She particularly enjoys the organisational side of her role. At the same time, development continues to be an important part of her work.
Fresh Impetus Through AI
Programming has also become particularly appealing to Laurie again. The reason: artificial intelligence is noticeably changing the way people work in IT. Existing workflows need to be rethought, processes adapted, and tasks reassessed. For Laurie, this means one thing above all: new challenges. And that fits perfectly with her day-to-day work at SOCITAS. Rather than being defined by fixed routines, her role continuously brings new topics, projects, and developments . For her, this dynamic environment is one of the main reasons why she still enjoys her work today.
Studying While Working
After completing her apprenticeship, Laurie decided to pursue a part-time degree in Business Information Systems alongside her job. She had wanted to study for some time, and after finishing her apprenticeship, the timing felt right.
SOCITAS supported her primarily by offering flexible working hours. At the beginning, her working hours were significantly reduced so that she could settle into her studies and have enough time for lectures, exams, and her day-to-day work. The arrangement was later adapted step by step: first by increasing her hours and eventually allowing her to return to full-time work.
For Laurie, this flexibility was essential. She did not have to choose between her professional development and her studies but was able to combine the two. Together with SOCITAS, she regularly reviewed what worked best and how her working hours, responsibilities, and studies could be balanced effectively.
Finding Her Place, Growing, and Giving Back
Today, Laurie actively shares her own experiences with others. As Training Coordinator , she supports the professional development of apprentices at SOCITAS and helps shape the future of the company’s apprenticeship programme. Her own time as an apprentice provides an important foundation for this role. She understands the value of taking responsibility, while also recognising where additional structure and guidance can make a real difference.
This inspired her to further develop the apprenticeship programme at SOCITAS. Laurie works closely with the apprentices, holds regular meetings with them, keeps up to date with their projects, and maintains close communication with team leaders. This enables her to better assess where support is needed, which technical topics require more guidance, and how the apprentices can continue to grow. One particular challenge is the transformation brought about by artificial intelligence.Ways of working in IT are changing, and apprenticeship programmes need to evolve alongside them. For Laurie, this means continually questioning existing concepts and rethinking how things are done. In this way, her journey has come full circle: once an apprentice herself, she now actively helps shape the apprenticeship programme of tomorrow.
A Career Path with Room to Grow
Laurie’s journey shows what professional development at SOCITAS can look like: not growing into a fixed role and staying there, but exploring different opportunities, taking on responsibility, and finding your own path. What began as a spontaneous start to an apprenticeship evolved into a diverse career journey: over the years, with responsibilities in development, consulting, PMO, and today also in apprenticeship coordination.
It also becomes clear that IT at SOCITAS is about much more than software development alone. People with different strengths, interests, and personalities all have their place here. Those who enjoy diving deep into technical topics have just as many opportunities as those who prefer to organize, consult, coordinate, or help shape new concepts and ideas . This is exactly what makes Laurie´s story so special.
Decisive throughout her journey was the environment she worked in: the opportunity to take on responsibility, the freedom to explore different areas,and the trust to keep developing. SOCITAS gave her the space to grow both professionally and personally, without placing her into a predefined role or limiting her potential.
