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How an apprenticeship helped shape my career

Blog
Amelia Wilks
06 Feb 2026

How I became an apprentice

After finishing college, I wasn’t sure which career path to take. That’s why I chose an apprenticeship as my next step. When I discovered the opportunities at YPO, I knew it was the ideal choice as it offers hands-on industry experience alongside academic learning, opening doors to a variety of career options.

There are so many benefits to doing an apprenticeship scheme. You get the opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people, and grow your confidence.

I started at YPO in 2018 as a business administration apprentice in the Business Support Team. This gave me the perfect opportunity to learn about business, both in practice and academically. During this time, I gained skills in diary and inbox management, professional communication, meeting support, document preparation, and handling confidential information.

I also took advantage of the additional learning opportunities, including inhouse courses and job shadowing. These extracurricular activities helped me to gain a greater understanding of how different teams worked and introduced me to different people across the organisation. I was able to get a feel for which area of the business sparked my interest, which for me was Marketing.

My journey into Marketing

After six months in the Business Support Team, I moved to Marketing to work on catalogue creation, print, and events. Throughout this time, I continued studying and completed my college course with an NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration.

After eighteen months in the Marketing Team, I secured a permanent role as a Marketing and Digital Assistant. I was very happy to be starting my new role, equipped with the skills and confidence I had gained from my apprenticeship.

Starting this new role in the Marketing team allowed me to upskill myself in other areas, and work on new projects such as digital. I learned to adapt copy for different audiences, keep a consistent tone of voice, and support content planning and scheduling for YPO’s social media channels. I developed skills in CMS editing, website design, and basic SEO, including keywords and metadata. I also monitored the YPO website and social analytics to understand what performed well and used those insights to improve content.

My role now

After completing two years in the digital team, I was ready for a new challenge. When a position became available in the Brand Communications team, I applied and was successful in being appointed the role of PR and Communications Officer.

As part of my current role, I’m building experience in drafting press releases, media monitoring, and storytelling, I also support internal communications planning, contribute to brand reputation management, and am learning the fundamentals of crisis communications.

Another key part of my role stakeholder engagement. This involves liaising with internal teams to gather stories, working with external stakeholders and local media, and collaborating with senior leaders to align messages and support strategic delivery.

None of this would have been possible without starting my apprenticeship. The support I received gave me the confidence to try new things and helped me find my love for Marketing and Communications. I couldn’t have chosen a better way to start my career!

National Apprenticeship Week 2026

If an apprenticeship sounds like it could be for you, YPO will be sharing more information about our apprenticeship scheme from 9–15 February for National Apprenticeship Week. You can also visit our dedicated apprenticeship page for details and current opportunities.

Amelia Wilks - YPO

Author

Amelia Wilks

PR and Communications Officer

YPO

Amelia is a PR and External Communications Officer. Her role is focused on delivering external communications in the early years and wider education market. Amelia is responsible for assisting with PR and media relations, stakeholder communications and public affairs, content strategy and creation, research, and corporate comms such as strategic partnerships, sponsorship, events and awards.