From Monday 6th to Friday 10th March 2017, it’s going to be National Apprenticeship Week throughout the UK, and here at One2create we’ll be joining the celebrations.
Our creative team is made up of exceptional individuals, and throughout this week we’ll be releasing a series of posts written by each of our apprentices.
First up, we have our Creative Apprentice Beccy. She joined us in November 2016, and really hit the ground running. She’s shared her own thoughts on the apprenticeship scheme, and what she’s learnt during her time at One2create.
- Why did you choose an apprenticeship over a University course?
After attending university for a couple of months, I did not feel like I was getting value for money for my course.
This was one of the top universities for this course in the country, however, I did not feel that I was getting enough training and quality teaching time with my tutors for my rising fee of over £9,000 a year.
I know that I have the option to return to a degree anytime in the future, but you can only complete a funded apprenticeship without having completed any prior university courses.
- What made you choose your apprenticeship?
Having held a place at university for animation, I still wanted to continue my training in the creative industry; this is something I am passionate about, and I wanted to hone my skills.
I also wanted to study an apprenticeship course that was perhaps broader than just one specific skill; this way I could learn additional things that I may find useful in the future – more feathers in my cap!
- What’s it like working at One2create?
This is the first business I have worked in that has provided the opportunity for a career path for me; I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and the ability to work with like-minded people. I also look forward to the days when everyone brings their pet dogs in – I am yet to see that!
(In-case you missed our Twitter updates, here’s a picture from that day)
- How do you think your apprenticeship is going to help your career in the future?
By choosing a fairly broad apprenticeship and developing my creative digital skills, I hope that I would have gained a far better practical knowledge and experience of a professional working environment.
It is becoming increasingly common that employers are asking for practical experience rather than a university degree in some of the areas my skills are relevant for.
There seems to be a higher demand for individuals who can demonstrate practical knowledge as opposed to having freshly graduated from university without experience of a working environment or who are not used to full-time working hours.
- What do you enjoy most about your apprenticeship at One2create?
I am really enjoying the additional training for animation in Adobe After Effects.
Not only does this relate to my interest in animation and the process of animating, it is also a whole new method of animating that I have been able to learn in a short period of time.
I also enjoy all the different tasks I am handed; one day I can be inputting information into a WordPress site, the next, I could be animating or designing logos.
- What are the main skills that you’ve learnt since your apprenticeship started?
The main skill I have learnt would definitely be the ability to create assets and compose a short animation in Adobe After Effects for small business videos.
I have also become a lot more proficient in using Photoshop and InDesign; a programme I had not used before working at One2Create.
- What advice would you give someone that’s thinking about taking on an apprenticeship role?
If you are unsure about whether university is right for you, I would always recommend taking an apprenticeship first; you can gain a real insight into how a business functions and what sort of jobs and tasks you will experience in your career.
I would recommend taking a year out to decide what you want to do and pursue an apprenticeship beforehand; they are all government funded and it is nice to get paid whilst you work and learn.
You can always return to higher education if you’d like, or, alternatively you could consider a level four apprenticeship, which is a degree equivalent and now nationally recognised.
That’s the first post in our series so far but don’t worry, there’s more to come. We’ll be sharing experiences and thoughts from our SEO apprentice, another Creative apprentice and our (recently promoted) Content Marketing apprentice over the rest of the week.
Are you an apprentice at the moment? Or are you considering making the move into paid learning? We’d love to hear your own thoughts and experience, so let us know in the comments below.
Likewise, if you want to give us a shout-out on Twitter, then you can find us here. We’re also on Facebook, and we always like to meet new people, so head over here and give us a Like.
