Degree apprenticeship is ticket to brighter future

Keaton Kennedy went from thinking about leaving education altogether to securing a degree apprenticeship at a world-leading cloud technology company, Amazon.

The 19-year-old is now a degree apprentice at Amazon and recalls how things might have turned out rather differently: “After quitting sixth form, I was very close to giving up on education completely, but those around me convinced me I should give it one last go while I have the chance.” recalls Keaton.

So, he attended Barking & Dagenham College’s open day with a cooking course in mind. However, after speaking to a few other lecturers, he changed his mind to enrol on a new T-Level course in digital production design and development.

Keaton says: “I wanted something that gave me time to have a part-time job on the side, and real-world experience and practical skills, which is exactly what T-Levels are all about.”

As part of his experience at college, Keaton got to take part in a number of extracurricular activities and skills competitions which boosted his experience and CV; one such event was the annual Digital Skills Project, which involved 1,000 students from colleges around the country taking part in a competition to produce a technology solution. The finalists attended a special presentation day at Amazon Web Services’ offices in Shoreditch – where they showcased their ideas in front of a large judging panel of businesspeople.

As he came towards the end of his two-year T-level, Keaton applied for three different degree apprenticeships that were being advertised on Amazon’s website.

Degree apprenticeships are highly coveted, due to the fact that the apprentice gets a full bachelor’s degree, completely funded, whilst also getting paid job position at the same time. Therefore, advertised positions usually receive many applications,

He explains: “Ultimately, I made it into the final stage for a Data Analyst position and after completing the assessment centre, I got an email to say I had not been successful.

“Fast forward a few more months, I had got my grades and been accepted into Cardiff University to study software engineering. Then I got a call from Amazon to say they have a new degree apprenticeship position open, if I would like to accept, which I did!”

Although, Keaton clearly put in a lot of effort into getting his grades and in securing his position as a degree apprentice, he is keen to thank his college tutors for their contribution to his success: “This would not have been possible for me without the help of Haris, Henry and Genna, who all supported me immensely, even in their own time, to give me the best chance at achieving what I did. I couldn’t be more thankful for them.” 

Julia Von Klonowski – Director:  Digital Skills Consulting, who runs the Digital Skills Project, said of Keaton’s success: “Digital Skills Consulting has a long-established relationship with Barking and Dagenham College and with the Digital T Level and BTEC students who attend the events & projects that we run. Our objective is to generate a pipeline of talented, well-trained and experienced young individuals, with the skills that organisations are looking for – in an increasingly ‘skills-based hiring’ world. We specialise in developing Digital Projects and delivering events in areas of the country that have a lot of talent, but not necessarily opportunity.  We collaborate with Business, IoTs & FE Colleges, Charities and other stakeholders to provide students with real-world challenges and experiences. We work closely with the College to inspire young their young people to consider careers in a variety of fields they may never have previously considered – and to network with the many individuals & companies that they meet.

“The College and their students, like Keaton – have always embraced these opportunities. Keaton was one of the first group of students to take the “new” T Level course and it is apt that an AWS employee is currently the Chair of the T Level Ambassador’s group of which I am a member. We are all extremely proud of Keaton being accepted for a Degree Apprenticeship at Amazon Web Services (AWS). In fact the Digital Skills Project Final was hosted at AWS’s Head Office in Shoreditch and Keaton and his team went on to win the Best Reflection Prize, which was awarded by Mastercard – for their digital solution titled `self-discovery’ (which reflected on the effects of `change’ on their generation). He is a true example of taking opportunity, working for his goal and achieving it.”