I’m Salka, a Marketing Executive at Mindful Education and alumni of Weston College, and below is my career journey so far!

My Career Journey so Far

Since completing my Level 3 Marketing apprenticeship through Weston College and Mindful Education, my career journey has gone from strength to strength. Upon completing my studies and achieving a distinction, I was offered a permanent role at Mindful Education, where I have now been working for three and a half years.

Since then, I have continued to develop both personally and professionally. The range of responsibilities I deal with has increased exponentially, meaning my skill set is more varied and allows me to take on any task with confidence. I have also since completed a Level 4 Marketing Executive apprenticeship, which enabled me to progress from Marketing Assistant to Marketing Executive.

What I Gained from Being an Apprentice

I think the confidence I have gained through my apprenticeships has been one of the biggest benefits. I have become more comfortable stepping outside of my comfort zone, taking on new challenges and trusting my own ideas and abilities.

My apprenticeship also gave me valuable practical experience of working in a professional marketing environment. I developed skills in communication, organisation, teamwork and time management, while learning how to manage real responsibilities and deadlines.

These experiences have had a big impact on my career because they have given me a strong foundation to continue developing and progressing within marketing.

Roles and Responsibilities of my Apprenticeships

The Level 4 apprenticeship was definitely a step up and helped to embed the knowledge that I had gained in my Level 3 apprenticeship. It also added another layer of depth and complexity to some of the theories and frameworks that I studied, which gave me a healthy challenge.

Similarly to Level 3, I had a project for my End-Point Assessment (EPA), so I had another valuable opportunity to plan and deliver a large project on my own.

I also had more opportunities to interact with my fellow cohorts and have teamworking experiences with other apprentices. This allowed me to build my team skills and understand a lot of the content more easily, as I had a sounding board to bounce ideas off and could share my ideas and work through tough topics together as a team.

My role at Mindful Education has developed as the scope and variety of tasks I handle has increased, and I feel that I am now responsible for much more within the team.

Some of my responsibilities include writing and posting social media posts, blogs and creating email campaigns to go out to our key audiences. I’ve also become involved in more internal and external events, helping with the planning and delivery of them by liaising with event organisers, couriers and other members of the team.

Challenges Along the Way

One of the main challenges during my Level 4 apprenticeship was balancing work and studies and meeting the requirements of both commitments. Often, I would find myself having to meet work deadlines, apprenticeship deadlines and stay on top of all my responsibilities.

To overcome this, I would use my study days to list my main responsibilities and get through as much as I could. For any tasks left over, I would section out my time after work, spending at least an hour after work throughout the week to complete them and ensure I met my deadlines.

I also found myself studying the material and seeing that it was a lot to take in, so I would make myself summary documents that sectioned off each of the key topics into bullet points. This allowed me to memorise and absorb information more effectively.

Biggest Achievements

The achievements I am most proud of are getting distinctions for each of my apprenticeships. Each apprenticeship I completed was over a year in duration, so a lot of time, hard work and effort had been poured into my studies, not to mention preparing for the EPA and doing it twice.

I am also very proud of making it to the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards in 2024 and being Highly Commended under the Creative, Media & Marketing category. This marked a significant moment in my career and was recognition of all my hard work over the last year and a half.

Advice to Future Apprentices

One piece of advice I would give to aspiring apprentices is to not be shy about asking questions. Don’t feel out of place just because you don’t know everything. At the end of the day, it’s a learning experience and the organisation that has hired you is well aware of the requirements and responsibilities of recruiting an apprentice.

You’re not supposed to know everything; the whole point of an apprenticeship is to learn on the job! So don’t be scared about doing an apprenticeship just because it’s something out of your comfort zone. It may seem daunting, but it is incredibly rewarding.

Future Steps

Now that I’ve completed both apprenticeships, I want to continue working in my role as a Marketing Executive and would like to do so for the future. I want to develop myself in this new role and take more leadership in various projects.

In the future, I can see myself taking on a senior marketing role and eventually also managing and guiding an apprentice. I can also see myself doing a Level 6 apprenticeship and progressing myself further in my career.

Weston College learners are celebrating today after receiving their GCSE qualifications in Maths and English, with the College recording improved results compared with last year. The College has seen achievement rates increase across both subjects, with over 99% of learners who sat GCSE exams achieving a grade.

In addition, 24.9% of learners who re-sat their GCSE Maths achieved a Grade 4 or above, which is nearly 10% above the national outcomes seen this summer.

For English 27.6% of learners who re-sat GCSE English Language achieved a Grade 4 or above. Similar to maths, significantly above the national outcome of 19.8%.

Among the many learner success stories celebrated today is Leo, previously home educated, he studied English and Maths. Reflecting on his achievement, he said:

"I am so happy – I have achieved better grades than I was expecting. I really enjoyed the classroom environment, we had a close-knit group and everyone was so friendly. This really helped me with revision, as we could revise in groups as well as in the revision sessions. I am now moving on to a photography course."

Another standout success is Holly, who collected her GCSE English result today. Holly said: 

"I’m incredibly proud myself. The support and encouragement I received from my mum and teachers played a huge part in helping me succeed. Everyone collecting their results today should be proud of the effort they’ve put in. If you don’t get the result you were hoping for, don’t worry. I chose to resit, and now I’ve achieved the grade I was aiming for."

After working hard towards their GCSE English qualification, Maisy was delighted to receive her results today. She said:

“I’m absolutely delighted to pass my GCSE Maths today. My teacher, Nadezhada, is the best teacher I have ever had, and I wouldn’t have been able to pass without her support. Now that I have this qualification, I’m moving on to a job with Ward Solicitors.”

Weston College Principal and Chief Executive, Pat Jones, said:

"Today is about celebrating determination, perseverance and personal achievement. We know that for many learners, gaining qualifications in English and Maths requires significant commitment alongside their wider studies, and they should be incredibly proud of what they have achieved.

"These results reflect the ambition of our learners to develop their skills and improve their future opportunities, as well as the dedication of staff who support them with compassion and encouragement every step of the way.

"As a people-centred college, we are committed to helping every learner fulfil their potential, regardless of their starting point. Whether they are progressing to further study, an apprenticeship or employment, these qualifications provide an important foundation for their next steps and brighter futures."

There is still time for prospective students to secure a place at Weston College for September 2026. Whether you're interested in A Levels, T Levels, vocational courses, apprenticeships or higher education, our team is on hand to help you find the right pathway. Visit www.weston.ac.uk  to explore your options and apply online, or pop into one of our receptions where our staff will be happy to answer any questions and support you with your application. 

Tomorrow (Thursday 20 August) is GCSE Results Day, and we’re looking forward to welcoming our Level 2 students to the South West Skills Campus to collect their results, celebrate their achievements and find out what comes next.

The Results Day will run from 8:30am to 12:00pm, with students welcomed to the campus from 9:00am via Main Reception. The event is open to students studying GCSE, Vocational, UAL, Level 2 BTEC and NCFE programmes, with our teams on hand to celebrate their achievements and offer advice and guidance.

Parents and carers are also warmly encouraged to attend and share the occasion with their young person.

Important information for students

Students should bring their Student ID card when collecting their results.

Results will also be available through MyWeston from 8:30am.

If you’re unable to attend in person, someone can collect your results on your behalf. They will need to bring:

• Your Student ID card
• A signed letter of permission from you
• Their own photographic identification

Any results not collected by 2:00pm will be posted to the address we have on record. Please note that results cannot be provided by telephone or email.

Got questions about your GCSE results? We’re here to help!

If you’re a school leaver and feel unsure about what your GCSE results mean for your next steps, our GCSE Results Guidance Surgeries will be available at South West Skills Campus:

• Thursday 20 August, 11:00am–4:00pm
• Friday 21 August, 9:00am–3:30pm

Whether you’re worried about how your results could affect your offer, have changed your mind about your chosen subject or course, or simply need advice about the options available to you, our friendly team will be on hand to provide personalised guidance and support.

We can help you:

• Understand how your results may affect your course offer
• Explore alternative courses and pathways
• Discuss changing your subject choice
• Find the right option if your plans have changed

There’s no need to navigate your next steps alone. Come and speak to our advisors, who can help you understand your options and make informed decisions about your future.

Whatever your results, we’re here to support you. Good luck to everyone receiving their results – we look forward to welcoming you and helping you take your next step with confidence!