Earlier this week, Ark hosted an Apprenticeship Expo, at Google Academy London, bringing together 140 students from across our network, to meet and learn from prospective employers. Participating organisations included: British Airways, the Cabinet Office, Sky, Capgemini, PwC, Deloitte, Marks and Spencer, Ofcom and many others.
Ark’s mission is to give every young person, regardless of their background, a great education and real choices in life. University might not be the ideal next step for every student. For some, taking up an apprenticeship might be a better choice. That’s why Ark works with partners to provide alternative routes into further education.
The expo provided a number of examples of students and employers who believe this alternative path was the right choice for them:
Malachi Boyce graduated from Ark King Solomon Academy earlier this year and took on a marketing apprenticeship with Sky in September. “The reason I choose to go for an apprenticeship rather than a degree is because I like the practical style of on-the-job learning which apprenticeships offer and earning while doing so. I’m currently working in the TV Customer and Product Team at Sky, working on marketing campaigns.”
Dom Birtles, Assistant Associate at Deloitte agrees with Malachi: “the beauty of an apprenticeship is the exposure your get to all kinds of different organizations and experiences across industries. It really is the variety of the tasks you can do and then pick whatever path interest you the most, it might even be something that you wouldn’t have otherwise known excised. And you don’t end up in debt as opposed to university, which is a bonus.”
Hasiba Husseini graduated from Ark Academy a year ago and joined Ofcom as an apprentice in their Economics Team. “I was going to go to university initially to do economics but kept my eyes open for other options. I wanted to work in something I was really interested in when I found this apprenticeship at Ofcom. What I love about it, is how I’m learning what’s relevant to the business and how I can put this knowledge into practice right there and then.”
Peter Flood is an alumnus of the Capgemini’s business and technology apprenticeship programme and now works with Burberry as a consultant. He says: “An apprenticeship inspires you to develop both personally and professionally. We have very high standards at Capgemini, so the apprenticeships here are challenging but also very rewarding. You are constantly learning about yourself and the business. You get the benefit of support from the team and you get to build a strong working relationship across the whole business. It allows you to grow seamlessly within the company.”
To find out more about Ark’s Pathways and Enrichment and the Access to Apprenticeships programmes, see here.