Tino Mumvuri discusses his Degree Apprenticeship with Aston Martin

I’m currently completing a Degree Apprenticeship with Aston Martin. I work within the Procurement team, where I’ve been based since 2023. Procurement involves sourcing goods and services essential to the business and, in my role, I specifically focus on procuring engine components for the Engines team.

Outside of my work at Aston Martin, I serve as the Apprentice Chair of the West Midlands Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (WMAAN). In this position, I lead a team of Apprenticeship Ambassadors across the West Midlands, promoting apprenticeships and supporting young people exploring this career path. I frequently deliver school talks and assemblies to share my personal journey and inspire others to consider the apprenticeship route.

I’ve always had a strong interest in the business and commercial side of things, even from a young age. At school, I really enjoyed Business Studies at GCSE and achieved great results in it. So, choosing to study Level 3 Business Studies at NSCG was the perfect decision for me as it gave me the opportunity to build on my knowledge, develop new skills and gain a deeper understanding of the different departments in a business.

At the time, my main goal was to get a degree apprenticeship in any area of business really. I knew I wanted to learn while gaining real work experience and I was open to different industries. I’m really happy that opportunity ended up being with Aston Martin because it’s such an iconic company and has given me incredible experiences.

Now that I’ve been here for two years, I’ve realised how much I enjoy the automotive industry and I’d love to continue building my career within it. It’s an exciting and fast-paced environment.

After college I went down the degree apprenticeship route. I did apply for university too as a back up, however I was always set on doing an apprenticeship!

I’ve definitely faced a few challenges along the way. Working at Aston Martin was my first ever job, so it was quite a big change coming straight from college into a professional environment. It took some time to adjust to things like working full-time, being part of a big organisation and working with people who have years of experience in their roles. At first, that was a bit daunting, but I’ve learned so much from them and it’s really helped me grow in confidence!

If I could give my college-aged self some advice, I’d say to be confident and believe in yourself. It can be very easy to doubt your abilities when you’re just starting out, however, I would say not to compare yourself to others as everyone’s journey is different and that things fall into place when you focus on your own goals.

I’ve been really fortunate to experience some amazing moments throughout my apprenticeship journey, but a few definitely stand out as my proudest. 

One of them was being invited to the House of Commons to celebrate apprenticeships. It was such a surreal moment and made me really proud. I was also invited to Parliament to take part in a James Bond style video shoot with the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury during National Apprenticeship Week, which was an incredible opportunity to represent apprentices on a national level.

Another proud moment was winning an Autocar Award, which recognised the work I’ve been doing in my role and of course becoming the Apprentice Chair of the West Midlands Apprenticeship Ambassador Network. Being able to lead and inspire other apprentices has been something I’m really passionate about.

My future plans right now are to successfully complete my degree apprenticeship and continue developing within Aston Martin. Over the next few years, I want to progress through the ranks, taking on more responsibility and working my way up to roles such as Senior Buyer and eventually Procurement Manager.

My ultimate career goal is something I’ve spoken about before, even when I was invited to Parliament for the video shoot and that is to become a Chief Procurement Officer one day. It’s a big goal, but it’s something I’m really passionate about working towards.

My biggest inspiration is definitely my family. They’ve always supported me from a young age with all my goals and aspirations. No matter what I wanted to do, they encouraged me to work hard, stay focused and believe in myself.

One of my favourite memories from college was taking part in the Dragons’ Den event, where we had to pitch our business ideas to local professionals. It was such a fun and exciting experience that really pushed me out of my comfort zone. I learned a lot about presenting confidently and how to work as a team. 

The part of college life I enjoyed the most was definitely meeting new people and making friends. I ended up making some really good friends who I still keep in touch with today and that’s something I’ll always value.

Right now I’m rewatching prison break. I am not the biggest fan of movies or shows!