So, when I left school in 2018, like lots of people say, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I was quite theatrical and loved drama, so I made sure I chose a Btec in Performing Arts – the other two I did were A-Level Psychology and English Literature at Loreto College. I loved all those!
When we were encouraged to start thinking about next steps, I knew I wasn't ready to move on to uni, and it didn’t feel like it was right for me at the time.
Trying something a bit left-field
When my A-levels ended abruptly in March 2020, due to the pandemic, I decided to go back to college for another year and study for a Creative Digital Media course at Manchester College – something I’d wanted to do at A-level, but you could only choose three. It was a great opportunity to try something that was a little bit different for me. I had an interest in filming and photography, and I really wanted to know more about it – and see if that’s where my career could be.
I learned about the world of marketing, and how I could use some practical media skills alongside my knowledge of psychology – and bring them together to help market products or services. So that was quite exciting.
From this course, I definitely wanted to move into something creative long-term, so in September 2021, I applied for an apprenticeship in Content Creation at GC. I found out about the apprenticeship through my tutor at Manchester College and she encouraged me to apply. So, I sent my CV and was lucky enough to land an interview – I was so pleased to hear back that same day.
Building a goal for my future career
Alongside my apprenticeship, my GC role was Junior Content Producer for our Education & Skills team, which focused on the creative-side looking at website layout and design, video creation and social media – all the things I loved.
Through the apprenticeship, I started to build a goal in my mind for my future – I want to make use of everything I've learned and eventually become a creative director and lead a team. I need to continue to build on these skills, because each piece of learning helps me towards my goal. I enjoy working as part of a team, I love how we bounce creative ideas and approaches off each other before we push something to market. Teamwork is so important.
A great example of where I’ve felt part of a team is where I’ve been empowered to make things better. From the weekly lessons and apprenticeship course work, in my work role I suggested ways to improve things – areas such as ‘Search Engine Optimisation’ (SEO), which is about making sure our content works as hard as it can for our audiences.
Getting a different perspective
As my apprenticeship was coming to a close, I was looking to move onto a new role at GC. Around this time, the Marketing team was having a restructure, and whilst there were no upcoming content production roles, another role caught my eye.
I really wanted to stay at GC, and I thought applying for the Internal Communications Officer role would give me a new perspective on content creation with a completely different audience. I successfully got the role in August 2022, and completed my apprenticeship in January 2023 – receiving a distinction!
Seeing my ideas and input drive change
I enjoyed my time working in the internal role and as part of it I set up the internal newsletter that goes out to all colleagues, GC News, which was quite exciting. Through the work I’d done developing ‘Search Engine Optimisation’ during my apprenticeship in Education & Skills, the senior team had seen the benefits of this new focus and wanted to establish a dedicated role to make sure we came at the top of the lists on web searches.
From this, a new Digital Marketing Specialist role was advertised in the summer of 2023. I hadn't had lots of digital experience, but by now, I knew that I wanted to work in a more external facing role, the team around me encouraged me to apply. Luckily, I had the apprenticeship knowledge on my side, and the team put their trust and faith in me to move into the role and move the team forwards in the digital-space. I started in the role that August.
The digital team have taken the time to mentor me and teach me the ways of digital. There's still loads for me to learn. I hope to do the Level 4 (Degree) Apprenticeship in Marketing that GC offers at some point in the future. Every day I move one step closer to my goal, and GC has been fundamental and supportive in helping me to achieve so much in just a few years.
GC has heart
Once you start at GC, there are opportunities to grow. It felt like that from day one for me. I've had the support of all my line managers and they’ve given me a confidence boost and lots of encouragement.
I’ve never felt insignificant because I'm young, or because I don’t have tonnes of relevant experience. I’ve been allowed to build my skills from the ground-up through my apprenticeship, develop and gain more confidence.
I don’t just have a job at GC, I have a career. We try our best at things and endeavour to help others. There’s a lot of love here. We've got heart for sure. I’m only just starting in my career, but I can see a clear path on my journey to become a Creative Director…
