During my last year at school, I watched my peers in excitement as they planned trips to visit their favourite universities and celebrated their unconditional or conditional offers. There was little advice for alternative options to university and I even applied for courses I knew I wasn’t certain I’d enjoy. When I told my Sixth Form tutor that I didn’t want to go to university I could see the look of shock on her face. I felt young and indecisive; I’ve always been academic, but with hundreds of courses available, I didn’t want to spend thousands of pounds enrolling on a course I wasn’t 100% certain about.
Having studied English Literature, Media Studies and Drama at A Levels, I’ve always had a passion for writing, communication and media. I found myself unhappy in all the roles I had since leaving school and when I reflected on why this might be I realised I hadn’t had the opportunity to apply any of my creative qualifications to my work, leaving me unmotivated and uninspired. I thought about reapplying for courses at university, but was put off by friends dropping out when they realised their course didn’t suit them or they felt that they didn’t receive enough support. I also feared being an older student, and as there is no guarantee of a job post qualification, I felt this was a big risk to take.
So, when I saw a vacancy to become an apprentice at Speed Communications I jumped at the chance. Having family that worked in PR, I had a basic understanding of the industry and I felt positive about entering the world of public relations. Being able to gain practical experience whilst learning and developing key skills was important to me and felt more beneficial to my future than studying full time for a degree.
Agency life is definitely fast-paced, but the team at Speed are constantly checking in with me and ensuring I am getting the most out of my experience. I am regularly challenged and being given responsibility and opportunity to demonstrate theoretical knowledge for my apprenticeship.
Being around professionals with such varied experience in PR is invaluable to my learning. I am continually observing campaigns taking shape, new clients being won, and coverage being secured which is something I could never experience in a lecture. The course also includes webinars, virtual classrooms, and networking which allows me to learn from an even wider pool of PR professionals.
I have been with Speed for over a year now and I feel so lucky to have worked on so many incredible campaigns in such a short amount of time. I already have so many achievements that I will carry with me for the rest of my career, from securing my first picture in The Daily Telegraph featuring the UK Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2022; working with the Department of International Trade again with the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Business Hub; supporting my first PR event with a new product launch in London with Hot Tools and working with influencers for Revlon Hair Tools.
Apprentices are a vital part of the workforce and I hope that more organisations offer apprenticeships in the future. There are so many benefits of work-based learning, and a degree doesn’t guarantee job security, nor does it define someone’s capability.
The first year with Speed has been such an exciting time for me, and I look forward to continuing to gain experience and see where the future takes me after completing my qualification.