Apprenticeship allowed Tom to figure out what aspect of design he wanted to pursue

Tom Subden, 19, has now completed his apprenticeship at Kal Group, Gainsborough, and the company have asked to stay on as a member of staff.

Having completed A-levels in graphic design and IT at William Farr school in Welton, Tom knew that he wanted to follow a career in the creative industries, but wasn’t 100 per cent certain in which area he wanted to specialise.

An apprenticeship offered him more flexibility and the chance to build a broader knowledge base so that he could see which aspects he liked most and keep his options open to specialise at a later date.

At the same time, Gainsborough based digital marketing agency Kal Group was looking to expand and develop its team and advertised for a social media apprentice to join the company.

Tom joined the company in December 2015 and immediately began working towards an Advanced Level Apprenticeship in Social Media for the Business Sector.

Whereas a lot of apprenticeships are four days in the office and then one day at college, this one had a full week’s training at a time, usually in Manchester.

He felt that this was better as it gave him the opportunity to concentrate on the learning and to really benefit from the knowledge of the staff at the training centre while he was there.

Additionally he also had the chance to spend the week with people that were doing the same thing as him enabling him to find out how they were getting on, discovering things he could bring back to the workplace, helping each other with issues and of course having a bit of down time and socialising together in the evenings – something which people might imagine you don’t get the change to do on an apprenticeship.

Tom said: “The apprenticeship gave me the opportunity to develop both my artistic and technical skills with modules including image manipulation, search engine optimisation and video editing.

“Over the course of my training I was able to work in several different areas of the business helping not only to develop my range of skills, but also to help me clarify exactly what path I would like to follow in future.”

Following the successful completion of his apprenticeship, Tom is now working in the design department as a junior and continues to develop his skills as he works closely with the senior design team.

Kal Group is now encouraging other companies to appoint apprentices to support new talent and help their businesses flourish.

Managing director of Kal Group, Andrew Wood, said “First and foremost I’m delighted for Tom, he’s worked really hard for this over the past year, and it’s great to see that dedication pay off.”

He added that the experience of hiring an apprentice is one that has benefitted all involved.

Andrew said: “It’s a great way for young people to learn new skills and develop the ones they already have, and that is a great investment in the future for them, for us as a company and for the wider economy.

“The added advantage for me is that because they are working within the business we can tailor their training and experience to match the exact needs of the business, which is a massive benefit.”

And Kal Group’s commitment to apprentices has continued.

Hannah Langton, aged 19, has recently joined the company and is just beginning her apprenticeship in digital marketing supported by the company’s search engine optimisation team.

n If you have an interesting story to tell, or know someone who does, email your story to [email protected].