How an apprenticeship can kickstart your career journey after you graduate

With a new cohort of graduates joining our alumni community this July, we spoke to a recent graduate who embarked on a post-graduate apprenticeship to kickstart her professional career.

Many new graduates are uncertain of where their journey will take them once they’ve left university. Do they continue with a Master’s? Should they be moving to London for a competitive graduate scheme? Do they enjoy their new-found freedom and travel?

One route that is often not considered, but is an increasingly popular one, is a post-graduate apprenticeship: learning on the job and gaining valuable qualifications to make your CV stand out. This is exactly what Class of 2021 graduate, Olivia Blackham, did.

First in family to study at university

I loved Newcastle. I still find it is such a safe, warm and welcoming place, and I regularly return to catch up with the friends I made while living in Windsor Terrace in my first year.

It was the varied course content and the architecture of the university that made my decision to apply to Newcastle. I didn’t want to just be studying Shakespeare and Beowulf for three years! Newcastle introduced me to authors and poets from around the world that I had never heard of or seen on any university reading list before.

I was the first in my family to go to university, and my parents were  keen for me to go to a Russell Group university. I don’t think any of us really knew what that even meant, but it felt really important at the time. I didn’t ever contemplate any other option than studying for a degree after I had completed my A-levels.

When I was in Year 13, I was fortunate to join the PARTNERS summer school at Newcastle and got to experience student life for a week (including living in Castle Leazes!). It was during the summer school that I fell in love with the city, and without the reduced grade offer from PARTNERS, I wouldn’t have been able to join Newcastle.

Fond memories

I lived in Windsor Terrace near the library in my first year, and then I and the girls I had lived with moved to Jesmond for our final two years of study. We still catch up every few months, despite living all over the country now, and have a holiday planned for this month – plus the first wedding of the group next year              !

Newcastle had it all for me. It was just two hours from my family in Doncaster, you could have a great night out in Cosy Joe’s, enjoy some amazing food in all the great restaurants and cafes, and you had both the beach and wilderness on your doorstep! I loved spending my weekends at Tynemouth Market or Alnwick Garden.

With our university experience dampened by the COVID lockdown, me and my friends really panicked about missing out on the opportunities we expected to have as students. That pushed me to apply to be President of the English Society in my final year: I needed to step out of my comfort zone and wanted to provide some fun and valuable experiences for my peers before we left uni. In the end, it was mainly online meet ups that I organised because of the ongoing restrictions. I also spent a lot of time organising an amazing end of year ball at St. James’ Park that got cancelled last minute because of a COVID outbreak – it was devastating!

However, one of my fondest memories of my time at Newcastle was during lockdown. Our lecturer, Stacy Gillis – who is absolutely incredible – ran virtual screenings of Dracula to bring people together in a time when we physically couldn’t.

Starting a new learning journey

I graduated from university in 2021 and found myself with a lot of opportunity but not too much direction. The job market can be difficult to dive into, and I attained CV support from the university, guiding me to better roles. However, after I entered full-time work, I quickly felt unfulfilled in my job and decided to take a 6-month career break to travel with my partner.

While we were travelling, I was teaching online to make some money, and that really solidified my decision to look into becoming an educator when we returned home. In the job I had left to travel, it was training new staff and sharing skills that I really enjoyed, and friends had always told me I would be a great teacher - but I knew I didn’t have the temperament to teach kids!

When we got home, I started looking for graduate schemes and apprenticeships in Learning and Development as I recognised that I needed experience, qualifications, and dedicated support. My degree and experiences got me in the door for several programmes, and I selected a Learning and Development Practitioner apprenticeship with Wakefield Council.

The 18-month programme taught me how to educate and train others effectively, and there was a lot of online study – which I was used to after COVID! It was all about learning styles, group dynamics, creating resources, how to engage people in different ways and evaluate effectively, rather than about what you were teaching. It was real beginning to end learning and I learned so much about myself during the qualification too!

Preconceptions about apprenticeships

I had never met anyone who had done an apprenticeship until I met my boyfriend. His experience really changed my prejudices towards them, as before I’m sad to admit I used to look down on apprenticeships.

One of my biggest preconceptions about apprenticeships before looking into the opportunities available was that the wage would be so low, that I wouldn’t be able to live on it as a 23-year-old living independently. But Wakefield Council offered National Living Wage, and so it was more than achievable, and my partner and I even bought our house while I was still an apprentice!

I was also asked by people I know whether I felt that I had ‘wasted my time’ getting a degree to then do an apprenticeship. But the skills and maturity I gained during my time at Newcastle University have been invaluable during this next stage of learning.  I came in with this level of maturity, knowledge and communication that's helped me perform highly, and I know that if I had started this apprenticeship as a 16-year-old, I wouldn’t have been as proactive and confident in supporting the team. I couldn’t have got here without my three years at university and while I am in a place I never expected to be, I couldn’t be happier.

Looking to the future

I’ve recently completed my apprenticeship and now officially joined the Environmental Health team at Wakefield Council as a Health Development Officer, delivering First Aid training to organisations and the community.

One of the things I’m most excited about the future is taking on some more public health projects and supporting those at risk in the community. For example, I’ve goneout to the Youth and Family Hubs in the area and delivered training to young parents, so they know what to do if their child has a first aid emergency.

A new law was created this year following the Manchester Arena incident called Martyn’s Law, which is all about how we respond to large scale incidents and emergencies, and first aid is a really important part of that, so something I’m excited to do more of is catastrophic bleeding training – how to deal with injuries that can kill people quite easily.

Having a job where I can see the impact I’m making every day is amazing, I’m giving people the skills to literally save someone’s life, and it’s so rewarding. I wouldn’t have that without my apprenticeship.

My advice to the Class of 2025

How Newcastle University can support you as a new graduate

Graduation doesn’t mean the end of your connection with Newcastle University. You are now part of a dynamic network of over 270,000 graduates worldwide who share a common bond - their passion for Newcastle, cherished memories of student life and aspirations as a graduate.

We're here to help you take your next steps, whatever they may be, and keep you connected to the wonderful campus and city you called home. 

As a Newcastle graduate you can continue to access support, resources and facilities. You can also benefit from professional and personal development opportunities including:

• Careers support. Join MyCareer to view the latest graduate employment opportunities, engage with employers and receive 121 career support.
• Expand your personal and professional network through our alumni events wherever you are in the world.
• Whether you're returning home or staying in Newcastle, stay connected to your university and other graduates through our alumni networks.
• Relevant newsand updates from your university and other alumni around the globe.