This is Kerry's Apprenticeship Story, a Digital Marketing and Social Media Apprentice for Multipix Imaging Ltd

Throughout my time at college, we were pushed towards going down the university path and at the time I wasn't aware of any other option.

After applying for a course I was unsure on, I decided to take a year out. This was the best decision I could have made. It was in this year that I researched and discovered the true value of apprenticeships and all the amazing opportunities they have to offer. I spent my gap year like the majority of others do; working and going on holiday (I wish I could say travelling but I'm sure staying in hotels and having a suitcase doesn't count).

After this came to an end, I began to start searching and applying for apprenticeships. My experience in finding a position was quite a lucky one. I knew that the area I wanted to work in was Digital Marketing and Social Media as this is forever evolving and will only get more exciting in the years to come. One major problem I found was the lack of these apprenticeships in my area.

This is when I came up with the idea of looking into technology companies in my local area to contact about the possibility of hiring an apprentice. Funnily enough, the first company I emailed was Multipix Imaging, and an hour later I had an interview date.

What's it's actually like to be an apprentice

Some companies you just get a good feeling about as soon as you walk through the door and Multipix were definitely one of these companies. My interview felt more like an informal chat and I felt so relaxed and at ease, the position sounded more exciting by the minute! Thankfully, I got the job as a Digital Marketing and Social Media Assistant and I honestly couldn't be more grateful to this friendly company for taking me under their wing.

Multipix Imaging is a dynamic and energetic company dedicated to distributing top class vision products in the machine vision industry from major manufacturers around the world. I was to be their first apprentice with hopefully more joining in the months to come. I started in December 2015 and the four months since have been filled with learning new skills with the opportunity to showcase these.

I've covered everything from video editing, blogging, tweeting, Photoshop and setting up media campaigns; the list is only ever growing! In April, I'm even off to Coventry for a few days to help at one of our technology events. Next week I'm due to start the college part of my apprenticeship scheme which I'm really looking forward to. I couldn't imagine anything better than earning whilst learning; it really is the best of both worlds.

If I had known earlier what it's like to be an apprentice, I would have jumped onto it sooner!

To anyone stuck on what to do after college please don’t think that university is the only route. I'm sure the university route is great but it’s not for everyone. Now you know what it's like to be an apprentice, and how great it turned out for me, maybe it's time you found the apprenticeship for you. There are hundreds of apprenticeships out there and I can guarantee you’ll find one that’s right for you.

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