A FORMER Priestley student this week explained the benefits of pursuing an apprenticeship after college.
Matt Franklin, who has now founded a digital consultancy firm called Optima Digital Solutions, said his tutors had supported his decision to focus on an apprenticeship during his time at college.
“Learning and earning on the job is the best way for people to gain experience and knowledge after leaving college,” he said.
“One of the main benefits of an apprenticeship is that you start earning straight away. Most apprenticeships also offer either additional qualifications in the form of BTECs or Degree Level and can be great for unlocking future job opportunities.”
Matt achieved a triple distinction* in BTEC IT at Priestley. After finishing college the former Cardinal Newman Catholic High School pupil started an apprenticeship at STFC Daresbury Laboratory (UKRI) and then moved into local Government.
His first role was at Warrington Borough Council in their Digital Transformation Team and his second was at the London Borough of Waltham Forest in their Digital Team.
He is currently building up the consultancy firm, which specialises in local government / public sector digital transformation projects, specialising in development on a platform called GovService by Granicus.
Matt said: “Essentially, we work with local councils and other public sector organisations and advise on how best to digitally transform their current offerings to residents.
“We also offer development and configuration of the GovService platform while utilising cloud technology such as AWS and Azure.”
