Hi, I’m Zach, the Multi-Channel Marketing Apprentice at Skills and Education Group. It’s the festive month, which means I’ve been getting excited about Christmas and there has been a lot going on at Skills and Education Group….

Thursday, 12 December, was national wear your Christmas jumper day. I led the campaign at work, and it has been so much fun creating the communications and setting up our donation page. If you would like to support us and donate to Save the Children, the link can be found here.

I have also been preparing for our work Christmas celebrations. This year, each team has been tasked with showcasing their achievements in a fun and engaging way. We brainstormed ideas and decided to create Comms Quizmas. I have created a quiz about my team to get the rest of the organisation involved. It’s fantastic to showcase our team and how we support each other, which is something I really value. As if that isn’t enough, we also have Secret Santa coming up—I have bought my gift and can’t wait!

You may have read my recent blog post, in which I mentioned that I’ve had the privilege of joining the National Apprenticeship Ambassador Network. This network of apprentices and employers is dedicated to teaching young people about apprenticeships and promoting and inspiring employers to hire more apprentices. I joined the network because I believe apprenticeships are a valuable option for young people, and I want to help raise awareness of their benefits.

As part of this scheme, I attended the East Midlands National Apprenticeship Ambassador Network Winter Conference at the Crowne Plaza in Nottingham on 11 December. The event brought together a diverse group of employer and apprentice ambassadors from across the UK. To start the event, we had some refreshments and began networking. Icebreaker bingo provided a fun and engaging way to meet new people and build relationships.

The network’s latest updates and key performance indicators were presented, which helped me better understand its goals and objectives. Together, we can achieve our goal of engaging with every school across the UK and promoting the benefits of apprenticeships.

As Tom Culley, BEM, Chair of the National Apprenticeship Ambassador Network, stated:

I have to mention the fantastic food at the event. The buffet featured an impressive array of fine dining options. I enjoyed sampling apple and toffee crumble, paella, curry, and more. During this break, I also met Yunus Riswan Marikkar. We spoke about the network and our personal interests, and we got along incredibly well.

Finally, I would like to say a big thank you to Charlotte Nicholls, Charlie Gresswell and Olivia Scane (Assoc CIPD) for hosting such a great event and to everyone at the East Midlands Apprenticeship Ambassador Network; I had an incredible time. It was inspiring to connect with so many amazing people and learn from their experiences. Being part of this network is an honour. I’m passionate about inspiring others to explore apprenticeships as an alternative to university. Growing up, I didn’t realise apprenticeships were an option and thought you had to go to university to be successful; by being an ambassador, I hope to show others that there is a choice.

PS: I wanted to share some insights into the people I was fortunate enough to meet:

• Muhammad Hammad Lateef is a TMIET CSA who has completed multiple apprenticeships and is currently employed by Amazon. He was a warm, bubbly and inspiring character who made me feel at ease, and it was fun to find out he was also part of the Association of Apprentices (another network I am a part of).
• Yunus Riswan Marikkar, A Technology Degree Apprentice at Accenture, who is an apprentice ambassador with the network.
• Bobby Ramsey, the new Network coordinator.
• Iqra Jaffary, A Level 7 Solicitor Apprenticeship at Broxtowe Borough Council who is part of the network and shared some brilliant marketing tips.
• Kasim Usman, A Marketing Manager at Workpays and apprentice ambassador who shared some brilliant marketing tips.
• Matt Youdale, Public Relations Consultant and Nathan Mau-Mau from Arch Communications, who presented storytelling through case studies.