Islam Fessih, 21, recently completed a Business Administration apprenticeship at Unicef, with Multiverse as his apprenticeship training provider. Read about his story in his own words below.
MultiverseI was always pretty set on going to university. While I was in Year 12 and Year 13 I visited all of my top choice unis, and went to summer schools for law. I didn’t really consider any other route, and put in my applications. My school guided us towards university, and I had a preconception that apprenticeships were low-paid, junior jobs.
I was on LinkedIn when I first came across someone doing an apprenticeship. It was the first time I’d realised that apprenticeships were more than what I’d imagined - and they’re a route into exciting firms doing the sorts of jobs I had dreamed of doing. One area in particular stood out to me - Business Administration.
Making my values count
I saw a vacancy for a Business Administration apprenticeship at Unicef, with Multiverse. Not only was the role exciting, but working for a charity was something I’d always aspired to do.
Being a child of immigrants who fled from a life of poverty and war and having migrated to the UK myself when I was only 3 years old, the values of humanitarianism have always been deeply rooted in my upbringing. I’ve always felt a sense of responsibility to fight for those who don’t have the pedestal to fight their own battle. So working for an organisation that embodies the very same philanthropic morals I hold dear to myself, allowed me to work towards a greater good.
My apprenticeship also enabled me to start working and earning straight away - and to start moulding my own route. I didn’t like the idea of putting everything on hold for four years with no guarantee of a job at the end of it.
Turning down uni for an apprenticeship
By this time, I’d already received an unconditional offer to study Law at the University of Durham. But I was so excited by the apprenticeship, I made the decision to turn it down. Everyone was a bit confused about why I would turn down such a good offer at first - and it was a big decision.
But I felt that the option for uni will always be there, so I didn’t feel too much pressure.
My apprenticeship enabled me to try new things, work on things that felt like they actually mattered. I was quite an academic student, but now everything I write, learn and do makes a real impact on a business and on people’s lives.
I’m 100% glad I made the decision to do an apprenticeship.
If like Islam, you’re looking for options other than university to take after school, check out all our open roles on our website. Islam was passionate about wanting to work for an organisation that embodied his personal values, and the wide range of companies we work with means that you could do the same.
open rolesThis case study was originally published on the Multiverse blog.
