When I was looking to get into the web design and development industry, there were no courses, jobs or apprenticeships of any kind.
It was a rough ride looking for a job before I was finally lucky enough to be given a position in a company on a “trial run”.
I worked hard, initially scanning holiday properties from hundreds of holiday brochures and importing them into a content management system.
With some knowledge of photoshop, and little to no knowledge of HTML, CSS or Javascript, I had to work hard in my own time to learn the skills I would need to be able to design and build websites.
This is common in our industry, and is the only real way of learning.
Yes, there are courses on design, development, computers etc. However, the industry is so fast moving that courses often find it hard to stay relevant.
Students often have to employ their own skills of research and personal development to stay up-to-date.
Enter Mark Boulton Design.
They have offered up a fantastic apprenticeship opportunity to the people at the bottom of the ladder today.
Not only will they provide two years paid work, it’s with some of the most talented people in the industry, and are offering a fast track into the job I love so much.
This offer is something I would have torn the limbs from every other potential candidate to obtain when I was starting out.
Should more web companies be doing this?
Should universities be doing something like this rather than traditional courses?
I’d love this to become a topic of discussion that could change our industry for the better, but the chances are that nobody else will follow suit.
Either way, I wish the guys at MBD, and my brother (who will be applying) all the luck for the future, and would love to hear progress as the apprenticeship matures.
+1
Apprenticeships are the way forward for budding web developers – front line experience, great contacts, rewarding work, notable clients.
I’d place apprenticeships above degrees…
I’m completely in agreement – I don’t think a course will ever keep up with the industry, even as it evolves to other platforms and skill-sets.
I think experience and a good portfolio speaks volumes more than a qualification ever will.
I wish there were opportunities like this when I started out as, like you, I would have torn limb from limb to get that position.
I wish more companies would offer this kind of apprenticeship. So many people would get a step up on the ladder in our industry. Of course, studios such as MBD have some stellar talent working in the office, and other agencies – not so much; so would eventually create some sort of unofficial league but regardless – to be offered such a fantastic opportunity in a great industry would put one lucky person onto an incredible journey with some of the best mentors in the industry!
Gutted I can’t apply – but tempted anyway purely to get a letter back
More design agencies/studios should follow Mark Boulton Design’s lead and work with local colleges to create apprentice roles.
I was lucky enough to get my industry experience whilst on my University degree’s sandwich year. I got to work, get paid and gain more skills in this industry than my broad computing degree could have hoped to provide.
Another +1 from me!
Like many many many others in our industry, I too learnt on my own. I was fortunate enough to have a school friend who was as interested in it as myself – we used to sit on the bench in my parent’s garden writing hideous table-based html onto real actual proper notepads (I know!).
When I went to University, there were a few degree courses that would ‘teach’ html to some particular standard, which I chose not to go for since I feared it would be going over old ground. Instead I opted for a design course which I hoped would compliment my skills in web development.
I’ve always imagined having my own design / development ‘agency’ that I would be honoured to provide internships and/or courses! I hope more agencies jump on this idea asap!
thanks for the comments guys.
It just goes to show that they are hitting the nail square on the head with what they are offering.
I was interested in seeing if @markboultondsg would be willing to keep everyone updated on the progress over the apprenticeship, and the reply was that they would be encouraging the apprentice to do that, so keep your eye out.
I’m not a web designer, I’m a developer. I think that paid internships at quality places are valuable for ANY industry. If they want to attract talent and develop it then this is the way to do it. Otherwise, you limit yourself to the rich who don’t need cash whilst they learn and the insanely dedicated who live on tins of beans for years.