‘I DON’T THINK I MISSED OUT ON UNI’

DANIEL Gold is 21, and while most of his friends have just finished university and are looking for jobs, he is three years into his career, having completed a twoyear apprenticeship in the Ministry of Justice, in its offender policy team.

“I’m already in a stable job and have no student debt while they are looking for jobs,” he says, having as part of his training, worked on a review of education in prisons and the care and management of transgender offenders.

He always wanted to work in politics and decided to look into apprenticeships three years ago.

“I had always planned to go to university,” he says.

“I was in year 12 at Yavneh College and I wanted to go to Bath. But when I got my results back they weren’t as good as I had expected and I decided to retake them.”

He felt “left behind” as his friends went off to university.

“Suddenly I wasn’t enjoying school because all my friends were gone, so I started looking at what I what I could do.

“There wasn’t much information around about apprenticeships at school, so Google became my best friend. I applied, thinking ‘what is the worst that could happen?’

“It was where I wanted to be eventually and it was something I really wanted to do.” Luckily for him, he was successful and was invited to an interview and assessment day.

“By that point I was actually doing OK at school. I was back on track to go to university but my mum convinced me to go for the interview. I got it and when I finished my A-Levels I stated the job.

“I decided I could go to uni at any time if I wanted but this was the kind of job I would have wanted anyway and it had a good wage.”

He’s been promoted twice, and is now working as strategy manager at the Department for Digital, Culture,

Media and Sport. He missed out on leaving home, and the social side of university, but he didn’t mind.

“I could buy a car and drive up to see my friends on weekends. I don’t think I missed out on anything because I was also learning about my career at a degree level.

“And there is a social side to work, too. Throughout the apprenticeship, I was encouraged to do training and I picked up on skills you don’t necessarily get while you’re doing a degree.

“It prepared me for the work-place, and gave me leadership skills and confidence.”