Your Future Forward

Molly and Dexter discusses whether size really matters... when choosing a company to work at. Having started working at the young ages of 17 and 18, they both have different experiences - Dexter works for a small charity with a large network, and Molly did an apprenticeship at Google - one of the biggest companies in the world. Listen to hear our perspective on the importance of considering company size when choosing your career/job. Follow us on Instagram for more: https://www.instagram.com/yourfutureforward/

Jake Crook joins Molly to discuss all things Google Apprenticeships. Jake and Molly completed the same Level 3 digital marketing course whilst working in different teams. Previously Jake worked at an agency owned by Jaguar Land Rover, and he explains how stumbling across apprenticeships was the happy accident that has led to him securing a full-time role at Google in Dublin. Molly talks through her experience of going straight to Google after finishing her A-Levels, and what it's been like to work in a team that sells YouTube ads. Hopefully, their experiences provide you with two different perspectives, giving you an idea of the range of opportunities that can come out of the same qualification! Your Future Forward: Instagram TikTok

Molly joins Keeley, Creative Apprentice at Warner Bros to discuss what it's like behind the scenes at the company. Keeley works in the Consumer Products team behind the Harry Potter merchandise, the Friends Cafe in Primark Manchester and lots of cool other projects. Keeley works very closely with the fashion team, designing the merchandise for a lot of titles Warner Bros own. After over a years experience as a junior graphic designer, Keeley stumbled across this apprenticeship and loved it that much that she is staying on to complete a Project Management apprenticeship. Your Future Forward: Instagram TikTok

In this jam-packed episode, Molly is joined by Ash, Euan and Jasmine from IBM who share their different stories regarding how they chose their apprenticeship. Ash was inspired by her father's apprenticeship which led her to take the same route. Euan started his research early on so he was very set on taking the apprenticeship route to push himself. Whilst, Jasmine on the other hand completed a placement after her A-Levels at IBM and loved it so much that she decided to continue working at the company through an apprenticeship. All their application processes were different, yet they all share similar values. This episode is full of great advice, you do not want to miss it! Your Future Forward: Instagram TikTok

Yasmine enlightens us on life at Sky! As a digital marketing apprentice, Yasmine chats with Molly about all the different teams she's had the chance to work with, cool projects she's worked on like the Premier League, and also what's next for her. A big benefit to Sky is the culture and the structure of their apprenticeship scheme all over the UK, so give this episode a listen if Sky sounds like a bit of you! Your Future Forward: Instagram TikTok

In this episode, Aimee talks us through her experience at Microsoft, from the application process to her current role as a Sales apprentice. Aimee completed some pretty impressive research into Microsoft before joining, and it is clear that she is extremely passionate about everything that the company stands for. She points out a lot of valuable advice which is very thought-provoking - this episode is one you'll want to listen to! Your Future Forward: Instagram TikTok

Zoe and Elia, both Data Science Apprentices from Santander have very different pathways to finding their apprenticeship. Zoe spent the majority of her life in Spain but moved to the UK as she decided apprenticeships were the right option for her! Her colleague, Elia worked at a Santander branch but wanted to pursue her passion for data. She decided an apprenticeship with Santander was the perfect way to do this! Your Future Forward: Instagram TikTok

Harry from Deloitte joins Molly to share his experience of being a digital and tech solutions degree apprentice. Harry's journey into his apprenticeship is particularly unique, having joined Ada. - a digital skills focused college prior to working at Deloitte. Harry made great use of his network, from his sister to his mentor to help guide him through the application process. Harry shares his experience, whilst giving us a great insight into Deloitte, and their different internal departments. Your Future Forward: Instagram TikTok

Devika joins Molly to share her experience of being a HR apprentice at GSK (GlaxoSmithKline). Devika and Molly went to the same college, and were in the same business class believe it or not!! Devika took a year out after college to figure out what she wanted to do and decided the apprentice lifestyle was for her - she hasn't looked back since. Being the only apprentice in her team and having joined virtually came with some challenges, but as she shares her experience the risk sounds completely worth it. It is inspiring to hear about the growth of Devika's confidence! Your Future Forward: Instagram TikTok

Holly joins Molly to share her experience of being an in-house solicitor apprentice at ITV. Holly has been an apprentice for a few years now!  Picked out of 800 candidates, Holly chose an apprenticeship as an alternative to university. She has had the opportunity to work on exciting shows like Love Island and I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here - take a listen to get the inside scoop on what goes on behind the scenes! Her story is really inspirational for those of you wanting to pursue a career in Law. Want to know more about her journey? Follow Holly on Instagram (@thatlawblog)  Your Future Forward: Instagram TikTok

In this episode, Molly is joined by Emilie, a project manager apprentice at Unilever, who works on the TRESemmé brand. Emilie explains her role as a project manager and what led her to join Unilever. She explains what her application process was like, and some of the cool opportunities that come along with her role, such as launching products in America! Your Future Forward: Instagram TikTok

This week Your Future Forward spoke to Bronte King, graduate and founder of @galswhograduate. Bronte discusses, why she chose the University of Reading, how she chose the right course for her, how she found university, and some of the challenges she faced during uni and since graduating. Bronte now has a huge network of female graduates, all trying to deal with the transition from uni to work. The network keeps each other motivated and picks one another up during times of difficulty.  Apologies for the slight delay that occurs in this podcast episode.

This week we are joined by Dan Mian, Founder of Gradvance. After leaving university, Dan applied to many jobs, using what he called a scatter gun approach. However, he was unsuccessful with all his applications. Dan decided to change his approach and tailor his applications, focusing on quality over quantity. Dan saw plenty of success from this method and landed his dream job! He now uses his knowledge to help others do the same. If you want to find out how Dan tailored his applications and how he can help you do the same then take a listen to episode 9 of our podcast and check out @Gradvance on Instagram.

This week Prisha Bathia, a Google marketing apprentice joins us to talk about her journey as an apprentice. She discusses, why she chose an apprenticeship, how she found her apprenticeship, what she enjoys about her apprenticeship and the challenges she has faced. Growing up with sturge weber syndrome, Prisha faced many challenges throughout her education and was unsure about the challenges she may face in work. Defying the odds, Prisha came out of school with a clutch of top A-levels and was expected to go to University, but instead she chose an apprenticeship at Google and hasn't looked back since. Take a listen and find out why she LOVES her apprenticeship so much. If you're inspired by Prisha's story and want to hear more, head over to her YouTube channel or Instagram @prisha_bathia.

This week Chris Targett RCPD, an enthusiastic careers adviser, joins us to discuss how you can find the right career for you and how you choose which pathway suits you best. This episode is extremely important for young people and is definitely a must watch! You'll be given all the information you need to take the first steps into thinking about the career you may like when you're older. We cover so such within 20 minutes, but don't panic - we will go into more detail about a lot of the things we mention in the next few episodes.

Fitness coach, author and TV presenter Joe Wicks joins us to discuss how he turned his passion into a career. Joe talks about feeling lost after university and wanting to "run away". After travelling, Joe set up a fitness bootcamp before becoming a successful entrepreneur. But what do the words "success" and "entrepreneur" mean to Joe? It's clear from our conversation that Joe isn't motivated by money, so what is driving his vision? The Your Future Forward team would like to say a massive thank you to Joe Wicks for his time and being so friendly when we approached him to be a guest. We are honoured to have such a big name on our podcast and hope that our listeners find Joe as inspiring as we do.

Shola West, Founder & CEO of Youth Unlocked joins us to discuss the barriers to gaining a career including age, gender and race. We talk in-depth about systemic racism and how it affects young black people in both education and careers. Shola discusses how she has gone from Endz2theCity, and how this influenced Youth Unlocked and her virtual events. Shola, a young, driven, ambitious entrepreneur from Croydon talks about how she has smashed down the barriers she has faced, how she hopes to help others do the same and her wishes for the future.

Chris Matthews, Head of Division Business and Enterprise at London South Bank University joins us to discuss how you can control what your future will look like. Growing up on a council estate, Essex lad, Chris started his career as an apprentice before becoming an experienced business leader, creating, developing and running successful multi-national, leading edge technology businesses. Chris has now moved into education, which he states is his profession. Chris is a humble man, who I met very early on in my university journey. I instantly found Chris motivational and inspirational and I had to get him on Your Future Forward.

On this episode we are joined by Elaine Lilley MBE, Founder of The EPB, an award-winning social enterprise, that supports young people across the country to develop the skills they need to thrive. Elaine talks about her career journey and reflects on how she got to where she is before sharing her top tips on how you can make the most of your time in lockdown. I spent almost an hour on the phone with Elaine after recording this episode, she's a truly inspiring lady and I'm sure you'll all find her story fascinating. 

Olly Newton, Executive Director, Edge Foundation joins us to talk about what employers look for. In this episode we will begin to talk about what young people can do to help them stand out, from building a strong CV to taking online courses. Olly will also answer a question on many people's mind in this challenging time - should young people be worried about their exam results?

Hi we're Dexter and Molly, the apprentice duo behind Your Future Forward. Listen to our introduction to find out about our backgrounds, education and our reasons why we thought starting this podcast would be a great idea. Head over to our Instagram @YourFutureForward to find out more about us, our podcast and to stay up to date.