#getingofar

2016 has been a big year! For me as well as for many of you, I’m sure.  So just for a moment, I hope that you’ll join me in blatantly ignoring the worldwide horrors this year has brought us, and take a look at my progress as a creative apprentice.

On June 22nd I took my first step unto the breach. Having finished my sixth-form education just a week prior, it was an early morning of deep breaths, freshly dyed hair and packing EVERYTHING I could possibly need into my bag. Apart from lunch, that I forgot, which made for a trip to our nearby sandwich shop and the start of my career as an errand girl.

One of the first tasks I took on was that of loading up the online shop. This was a process of finding the spots in the shop that offered the best lighting (a great way to familiarise myself with my surroundings), and Antonia (the gallery owner) selecting stock to be photographed and listed online. 

As well as using the amazing utility that is the internet for our online shop, this year I have been building and adapting my online presence, to create a divide between my identity as a craft apprentice and as a photographer, and to give myself the best platform possible for networking (something I’m hoping to discuss in a future blog post so stay tuned!).

One of the highlights of my year was visiting Lustre at Lakeside Arts, out of all the other trips out to trade shows and craft fairs, I found this one the most impressive. It was clear that the work was sensitively curated and created with skill and talent.

I’ve also been learning some completely new skills whilst working here at Focus this year. Taking part in the Nottingham Jewellery School courses here has moved my creative pathway in an entirely unexpected direction - if you’d have told me I’d be metalsmithing and enamelling on the job this time last year I don’t think I’d have believed you!

Between the workshops at Focus and intensive release days to college and the Nottingham Craft Academy with the other apprentices, I have been very busy!

It’s been a fantastic year for furthering my creative journey, and I feel very lucky to be working together with a fantastic cohort of apprentices, volunteers, artists, crafters and gallery owners!

Apprenticeships & Traineeships - Get In Go Far

To get your career started you usually need a combination of experience and qualifications. An apprenticeship gives you both by combining on the job training with study (usually one day a week) meaning you can earn while you learn. With some apprenticeships you can even get a degree.

It usually takes between one and four years to complete an apprenticeship depending on which level you take. Apprenticeships are available across a wide range of industries and many high quality, prestigious companies offer them.

If you have no work experience on your CV, or you’d like to get a taster of a particular job or industry, you might like to consider work experience first.