A success for Ben as he secures an offer from the Deloitte BrightStart Apprenticeship Scheme.

"Having the privilege to be accepted onto the Deloitte BrightStart Apprenticeship Scheme is a feeling that I cannot replicate. I had been looking into apprenticeships for a while and had already decided that an apprenticeship is what I wanted to do after I finished 6^th Form. I think there are a few stand-out factors that helped me in getting an offer after sending out several applications to different apprenticeship schemes. Firstly, my McDonald's job was important. I have been working there at weekends for the past year and the skills I learned from this were invaluable in helping me in the interview. It gave me something to talk about with the interviewer, it gave me the teamwork skills for the group exercise, and it hopefully, showed the interviewers that I was motivated to work. Another key factor for me were my extra-curricular activities. As apprenticeships are not based on academics, it was brilliant for me to be able to use examples like the CCF and Duke of Edinburgh to show how I had experience of being part of a team, and how the team had worked together to reach their goals.

Something I learned in the early stages of applications was that preparation is key. All apprenticeships give you an online numerical reasoning test at the start of your application, and I quickly learned that I would just get rejected if I did not use practice tests. The same can be said for the assessment day as I needed to prepare a presentation for my interviewer, and having my presentation memorised gave me confidence that I was able to deliver my presentation without getting flustered. Research into the company, what they do, and their company values was also essential as it gave me an idea of what the company was looking for in applicants. All of this would not have been possible without the support of my tutor, Mr Stainton, who helped me with the preparation and in finding companies that offer what I was looking for.

It is a privilege to now have the opportunity to go straight from school into a company like Deloitte."

Ben - U6^th Form Old House.

Head of Sixth Form, Will Daws, was quick to recognise Ben’s determination in this success:

“I am delighted that Ben has secured this apprenticeship offer from Deloitte. It is a measure of his determination that he has worked hard through apprenticeship applications, showing resilience when experiencing setbacks and investing significant time in preparing for applications, test centres and interviews. It is a credit to him that he has achieved this. This is also testament to the success of the BTEC programme at King’s, where Ben is studying BTEC Hospitality alongside History and Business A Levels, helping to equip him (alongside his work experience record) with employability skills as part of his learning.

Ben is one of a growing number of pupils at King’s looking at non-university routes to degree standard qualifications, with pupils increasingly wishing to look at and explore the broad range of options open to them. It is a hallmark of the Sixth Form at King’s that each pupil is encouraged and enabled to find the pathway that is right for them as an individual, working with ambition to find the best fit for their futures.

In the same week as Ben achieved this offer, we have also seen offers from excellent UK universities, as well as the University of Toronto and University College Utrecht. Pupils are thinking individually and globally, with the diverse range of academic subjects, extra-curricular activities and enrichment programmes supporting them in this process.” 

Will Daws - Head of Sixth Form