On National Apprenticeship Week, we look at how apprenticeships shape early careers at Nexer Digital, and the brilliant contributions our apprentices make to our team and ways of working. Hear from our apprentices on what they’ve learned, how they’re growing, and their advice for anyone considering an apprenticeship.
Every year, National Apprenticeship Week gives us space to reflect on the value of early talent, but this year it arrives alongside a significant (and welcome!) national shift, as the Government has announced new fast‑track apprenticeship reforms. These changes are designed to open up quicker routes into high‑quality jobs, particularly in growth sectors that need skills urgently.
At Nexer Digital, apprenticeships have become an integral part of how we grow, creating space for people at the very start of their careers to learn from those with more experience, contribute, and shape the future of our work and workplace. And what continues to stand out most to us is how much our whole team gains in return. Apprentices bring fresh perspectives, curiosity and energy, and their presence strengthens our culture of mentoring and shared learning. Their contributions are felt across client projects, events and day‑to‑day collaboration. We’re also lucky to work with a number of trusted apprenticeship and training partners who help us guide, support and champion our apprentices, keeping them connected to wider industry learning and opportunities.
This year, we’re shining a light on some of their experiences. Iqra, Robin, Isaac and Matt share what brought them to development apprenticeships at Nexer, what they’ve learned, and the advice they’d give to anyone considering the same path.
At Nexer, we've supported apprenticeships for a number of years and seen the benefits across the business. Supporting learners alongside their studies with real-life experience in the workplace is hugely rewarding, giving the wider team great development opportunities in mentoring and leadership. Our apprentices work across different parts of the business, getting involved in client-facing projects and supporting at our events. We've had brilliant support from our different apprenticeship partners, and have recently cemented our commitment to our apprentices by including them in our Living Wage award. For any businesses thinking about beginning their apprenticeship journey, I couldn't recommend it highly enough!
Jen Kelly, People and Culture Lead
Iqra Ramzan, Apprentice Back End Developer
After completing college, I applied for an apprenticeship through Manchester Digital. It was a great way to get my foot in the door and kickstart my career.
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is that apprenticeships can be a little intense as you're balancing both work and study, which can be challenging, but it’s an amazing way to dive straight into your career while still learning. It’s a rewarding experience that has allowed me to build both practical skills and industry knowledge.
If you’re thinking about doing an apprenticeship, I would definitely recommend it. My advice would be that the hands-on learning and experience are so worth it. It’s also a great fit if you’re someone who learns visually—like me. Whenever I get stuck on something, I can ask a colleague for a walkthrough, and that hands-on support has been very helpful in my learning process.
Photograph by Nerina Digital
Robin Roy, Apprentice Developer
I got into my apprenticeship by initially doing work placement for Nexer Digital as part of my T-Level course and then directly applying for one afterwards.
My biggest takeaway so far has been working in a team environment with real projects and deadlines. It's for sure a change of pace as compared to writing papers and just studying theory. I've enjoyed building applicable skills and knowledge which I can apply across different projects.
One thing I would say for someone doing an apprenticeship is not to reject yourself out of roles or work just because you think you don't have the prerequisite knowledge. You are there to learn! Keep asking questions and don't be afraid of failure.
Isaac Wharton, Apprentice Front End Developer
I initially decided to apply for an apprenticeship since I wasn't certain of where I wanted to go after finishing A-levels and was unsure of how I would get a job in the industry post-graduation. Doing a degree apprenticeship allowed me to learn on the job and gain industry experience which a lot of newcomers lack when leaving university.
One of the things I prefer about my apprenticeship is that it allows me to take on a higher level of responsibility and gain a better perspective of the workplace through working on actual projects, while still retaining a level of structured learning on the university course. I think this made the transition to starting work from A-levels easier, as it retains a degree of familiarity though the structure of the university course, but also encourages me to take more initiative through work. I think if I'd taken a normal university course I would feel like I had stagnated and would struggle a lot more.
I would definitely recommend looking into an apprenticeship if you aren't fully sold on the idea of a normal full time university course. It lets you gain relevant experience in the area you are studying, while not sacrificing the benefits of going to university.
Matt Baggott, Junior Front End Developer
I was originally on an undergraduate course but didn't feel as though being a full-time student suited me. A friend was already on the programme at Nexer, and we had a shared interest in software development. He sent my CV across, and I luckily was taken on board in early 2022.
I enjoyed running my own project for my "Development Project" module. Having the freedom to run a project and do the development at the same time as balancing stakeholder requirements was a challenging process but helped me to better understand the whole cycle of a project.
I feel as though the apprenticeship process has benefited me greatly. Having structure to my day with work and university assignments has developed my time management skills. Having more experienced team members to lean on has also allowed me to mature my technical knowledge more than I would have been able to being a full-time student. And you cannot discount the fact that you'll be being paid to study.
In the immediate future I'm taking a 4-month sabbatical around South-East Asia, but I will be looking to use some of the skills I've gained in modules such as "Enterprise programming" to move more towards full stack development and continue developing my knowledge.
