Results are in…but what next?

If you have recently received your GCSE results, you are at the start of the journey towards a big decision. In a couple of years you’ll need to weigh up: do you go to university, where the post-Covid experience has changed considerably, the graduate ‘premium’ isn’t what it used to be, and you’ll likely graduate with significant debt?

Or do you consider an alternative path into a career? If you do, what do you do? Where do you start? How do you find out more about workplaces, industries that you might not know that much about?

The media industry is a great place to start. A lot of your learning can be applied, from media and business studies to subjects such as history, geography, maths and English. As media agencies have evolved and become more professionalised, there are a raft of media apprenticeships for school leavers – none more so than in small to medium enterprises (SME) independent agencies.

All human life skills exist in media agencies. You will hone skills in data, statistics, psychology, anthropology, technology, mathematics, probability, innovation, creativity, negotiation, persuasion and networking. You can expect a career that will span a wide variety of business categories. The only essential skill is curiosity.

I’ve spent most of my working career in ‘yoghurts and toilet cleaners’ and I assure you the category dynamics are fascinating. At JAA we work with a host of third sector clients so you can achieve purpose alongside a positive impact from your work.

It is in SMEs that school leavers can really make the most of opportunities. Smaller companies require all-rounders who are prepared to get stuck in and make an impact on a business and their clients. You have to be a little bit gutsy, be prepared to take a leap and make a splash. Quite simply: in an SME, school leavers can have significantly more bearing.

With an apprenticeship, you get to build your career from day one, learning on the job, earning as you go, and picking up real experience in workplaces and industries you might never have come across otherwise. We’ve seen the value of this first-hand: we’ve taken on apprentices before, and working with Apprentify, we’ve just welcomed our newest one into the business, with two more due to join us soon. It’s a genuine reminder of how much this route has to offer, both for the individuals and for the business.