HELPING OTHERS DELIVERED ERIN’S CAREER MOVE 

Erin Williams was championing the LCR BeMore careers platform to others when she came across an opportunity which would lead to the next step in her own career. Her story highlights how LCR BeMore is changing lives in the region by providing a wealth of opportunities, advice and guidance in one place.

A career rooted in community

Erin grew up and still lives in Old Swan. A decade ago, she began volunteering with Granby Toxteth Development Trust. By the age of 18, she was working full-time for the organisation. 

During her early career, she worked as a teaching assistant and held various other roles before becoming a community project officer. In this role, she helped residents develop digital skills and access career and training advice to improve their employment prospects.

Day to day, Erin helped people create CVs, complete online applications, look for training opportunities, and prepare for interviews. Many clients struggled with the large number of job sites, training providers, and career advice sources they had to navigate to find what they were looking for.

Helping others discover careers with BeMore

During her time with the Trust, Erin had discovered the Liverpool City Region BeMore careers portal. 

“It really was a game changer for my role supporting others,” Erin explains. ‘It brings so many sources of information into one place. Much better than the alternative of having dozens of tabs open, trying to compare courses, qualifications and job adverts.”

BeMore proved to be a useful tool for Erin during the delivery of community sessions for local residents. She added:

“The occupational mapping tool is especially useful for anybody unsure about their next career move. It outlines career pathways, explains which qualifications are relevant, and provides training and employment advice, along with job opportunities. This streamlining meant my clients in the community found it so easy to navigate.”

A new opportunity for Erin

In 2025, Erin started exploring her next career move. She enjoyed her job at the Trust but was ready for a role with increased responsibilities and long-term prospects. Erin liked learning and wanted to keep growing, but she wasn’t sure whether to go to university, study part-time, or try something new.

She explains how BeMore played a role in her next step:

“During one of my community sessions, I was showing clients how to use the BeMore portal. I remember the exact moment when an advert for a business administration apprentice popped up.  It immediately grabbed my interest, so I saved the job to look at later. When I had a proper look once I got home, I realised it matched my skills, ambition, and salary expectations exactly! So I began the application process for the job with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA).”

Like most apprenticeship recruitment processes, the application asked about Erin’s career experience, how it was relevant to the job description, and which skills she would like to develop.

Starting her apprenticeship 

After scooping a job offer from LCR CA, Erin started her new role in November 2025. She is now enrolled on a level 3 business administration course with St Helens College as part of her apprenticeship, while working in LCR CA’s BeMore team. Each Friday is spent on her apprenticeship: she completes her course requirements and assignments online, as set by her college tutor.

Erin’s managers are ensuring she gains all the experience she needs to reach the standards of skills, knowledge, and behaviours required for the apprenticeship. For example, she manages some elements of purchase orders and invoicing, which gives her an appreciation of how departments across the organisation interact.

The apprenticeship fits Erin’s learning style well. She is open about having ADHD:

“Everyone learns differently, and for me, the practical learning within a clear framework on an apprenticeship is perfect. My ADHD doesn’t hold me back because the structure and focus on hands-on learning work well for me.”

Putting skills in the spotlight

Today, Erin is involved in a variety of projects with responsibility, including:

• An assignment to boost the effectiveness of the LCR BeMore calendar of events
• A brief to set up a web presence for the Youth Combined Authority 
• The launch of a suite of digital skills badges

She explains why this last project is so important:

“When an LCR resident completes a Skills Bootcamp, or similar employer-led training, they are gaining skills to do a job even if they aren’t issued with a formal award from an examining body. It’s quite a big project to collate all the information to make digital skills badges accurate. 

“It is worth it because the badges will signal to employers that a person has acquired specific skills. The badges could help fast-track them to an interview, which is a win for both the employer and the job seeker.

“It’s a dynamic approach from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. The badges will be for things like health and safety, customer service or digital competency.”

2026 and beyond

Erin loves learning and has an eye on her future, although it’s too soon to know exactly how her career journey will unfold in the coming years. She has long been interested in creative industries through her family, friends and community links. She hasn’t ruled out working for herself one day. In the meantime, she believes that further education is a strong option, including apprenticeships up to degree level. 

Erin’s story proves that a career doesn’t have to follow a single path. Working in a job that helped others develop their careers, ironically, helped her discover her own next career chapter. She remains firmly committed to the Be More platform:

“Explore the portal. Use the career mapping tools to get a clear insight into what’s out there. Opportunity exists everywhere across the region and for people of any age, and BeMore brings it all together in one place.”