At Ark, our mission is to help students reach their potential and we’re committed to helping young people into employment through as many career paths as possible.
Apprenticeships are a brilliant way to gain real-life experience and a chance for young people to apply what they are learning while getting paid. For employers, apprenticeships allow them to grow their talent in-house while offering practical experience alongside an education.
For National Apprenticeship Week, we caught up with 21-year-old Malachi Boyce. He’s a former King Solomon Academy student who left in 2019, gaining BTEC Business (Level 3 extended diploma). He did his apprenticeship at Sky (NOW TV), and he was recently promoted to Marketing Executive. This is the latest blog in our #ArkPeople series.
What do you do at Sky?
I work in the NOW brand team, where I work collaboratively with the media team and creative agencies to deliver brand campaigns for NOW Sports, Entertainment and Movies. I help raise awareness and talkability for the NOW brand to build our platform and drive demand and content perceptions.
Why did you choose to do an apprenticeship?
I chose an apprenticeship based on my preference around my learning style. I prefer to learn on the job and have a more hands-on approach. A marketing apprenticeship allows me to kick start my career early and study alongside to gain qualifications and knowledge, as well as experience while getting paid and not having to worry about any university debt. An apprenticeship is also an excellent opportunity to start building your network and get real experience in the industry you want a career in.
How did your school help you prepare you?
They supported me by reviewing my application and providing helpful feedback. However, I was proactive and had sought and researched the apprenticeship I was interested in doing. Soft skills learnt in sessions are also transferable in the workplace, e.g., networking, team building, presenting etc. I had also met my employer (Sky) at one of the events I attended with my school, which gave me an insight into the business and its opportunities.
What’s been your highlights so far?
My highlights so far have been the campaigns I produce. From leaving the sixth form to delivering actual campaigns for Sky and NOW from email push notifications to social media ads, YouTube ads etc., getting to see the campaigns I work on materialise and share with the public.
What’s next for you?
I completed my apprenticeship last year, and I recently began my degree apprenticeship in digital marketing (level 6) and my new marketing executive role in the brand team, which is exciting. It will provide good opportunities to work on new marketing channels such as out of home billboards, posters, radio, and TV.
What advice would you give to students thinking about their career path?
Although university might be a more common avenue for the majority, it might not work for you. Work out which industry or department you would like to work in and research which employers you want to work for and why. Make sure it is a company you want to work for in the long term. Apprenticeships can lead to a career you see yourself doing in the future. You also have to be prepared to balance working, studying and personal life, which might not always be easy; however, I have no regrets about doing an apprenticeship over going to university.
Ark is working range of partners to increase the number of students accessing high-quality apprenticeships with companies such as Bloomberg, Capgemini, Sky and Mace. If you are interested in working with us to promote your apprenticeship offer, please get in touch with Emma Thomson, Partnerships Manager, at emma.thomson@arkonline.org