I’m Zach and this is my monthly diary as a Marketing Apprentice at Skills and Education Group.

Upon the completion of my A-levels, I started a new chapter as a marketing apprentice at Skills and Education Group. Filled with a mix of excitement and apprehension I stepped into the unknown. Little did I realise that this decision would not only begin to shape my career but also allow me to reveal a more hidden part of myself. Join me as I share my experiences, challenges, and achievements as I navigate the world of marketing and revealing my true identity.

My First day

On the first day of my apprenticeship, I felt anxious and excited. However, I quickly realised that this apprenticeship is an amazing opportunity. Coming straight from my A-levels, this is my first office job, so everything felt unfamiliar. Fortunately, the people I’ve met here have made settling in feel easy.

Initially, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but after completing work experience at Slimming World and researching creative jobs, I decided to pursue a job in marketing. I am a very creative, so this felt like the perfect fit, and I was right. Choosing an apprenticeship was a great decision as I am gaining work experience, receiving training, and earning a qualification all at the same time. Being part of the Skills and Education Group has allowed me to make some wonderful friends.

Skills and Education Group is a fantastic place to work. We change people’s lives, and everyone here is so diverse and unique. The kindness and individuality of each person stand out. One thing I appreciate about this company is the new starter induction, where each team takes the time to explain their roles, which I found very useful.

At Skills and Education Group, we focus on strengths. On my first day, I participated in Hannah Miller’s strength course, where I met many people from different teams and gained confidence by learning about my top strengths and how to utilise them. This course was good as we weren’t allowed to sit near people we knew, and it was for everyone who had started in the last six months, so it was an amazing opportunity to talk to different teams and get to know other people. It really helped me as I met people and learned their names, which was useful for when I’ve been in meetings since.

My First week

During my first week, my manager arranged for me to have lunch with the business admin apprentices. They are lovely, and I immediately made friends, discovering we have a lot in common. Since then, we’ve been having lunch together regularly, and our conversations are always engaging. It’s been nice to meet people who share my interests and understand me. At school and college, I didn’t have many friends as a lot of people didn’t share the same interests as me, so this has been really nice.

My team has been incredibly helpful. I’m gaining new skills and mastering tools like Social Pilot for scheduling social media, Mailchimp for email marketing, and WordPress for website management. They’ve also been very welcoming and are fun people to chat with. Katie was assigned as my mentor, and she’s really helped me with work and personal issues too. I also found that Katie and I work quite similarly and think alike, which has made things even more helpful as she understands me.

My Identity

When I started this job, I was using my given name and told everyone I was a girl. However, I am non-binary, and my name is Zach. Over the past few years, I’ve struggled with gender identity and thought pretending to be a girl would make life easier starting a new job. Unfortunately, it was the opposite. Some days, I felt very gender dysphoric (gender dysphoria is the term for a deep sense of unease and distress that may occur when your biological sex does not match your gender identity) and uncomfortable because it wasn’t me. I am Zach. I felt it would be harder to be accepted if I revealed my identity. I thought I’d be seen as weird or an attention seeker. Eventually, I confided in my mentor, Katie, she was fully supportive and encouraged me to talk to my team and seek support. Their overwhelming kindness and offers of support were incredibly reassuring.

After a meeting with HR, my name was officially changed to Zach within the company systems. The overwhelming acceptance and support from colleagues filled me with joy.  They even used they/them pronouns for me, which was an amazing surprise as a lot of the time people have still used, she/her despite me telling them I’m non-binary. The company showed a real commitment to inclusivity by offering access to suitable toilet facilities and providing support resources. This level of understanding has been unbelievable. Every time someone calls me Zach or uses the right pronouns, I feel so happy and smile every time.

Pizza Night

Recently, I went out for pizza with the External Affairs team after work. It was wonderful to socialise and talk to different people and have a good time. I enjoyed chatting with Joe about music, even managing to surprise him with my knowledge of classic rock bands, such as the Foo Fighters, thanks to my dad’s influence! A small group of us went out for drinks after, which was sweet as we all talked about random topics, and it was funny.

My Thoughts

I am thrilled with my decision to join Skills and Education Group, I don’t think I could find a more diverse and friendly company. Everyone is so nice, and our CEO is amazing; he’s funny, knows everyone, by name and is clearly passionate about the company.

I’ve made amazing friends and feel so accepted – I never want to leave this company. I am glad I chose a career in marketing as it’s so creative and aligns well with my strengths. I love my job; it doesn’t drain me—I feel happy and enjoy working. I’ve always feared ending up in a boring job after school, but instead, I have an exciting job where I can be creative, explore new things, and work with amazing people while feeling supported in both my work and my identity.