MK Dons Sport and Education Trust: Our first experience of hiring an apprentice, four months on

Posted on: 6th Jan 2025
Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships today are delivered in all shapes and sizes and help organisations develop and strengthen departments to enhance productivity and achieve key objectives.

From GCSE to Master’s Degree equivalent courses educating future leaders on teaching, management, content creation and marketing – there is an apprenticeship out there for every employee and business.

MK Dons Sport and Education Trust is the charitable arm of the football club and invested in the power of apprenticeships for the first time in August with Ignite Training by recruiting a new member of the team to study our Level 3 Content Creator programme.

The apprenticeship is suitable for charities, sports clubs and businesses and delivers a market leading programme of learning across social media, content creation, video, photography and media with one-to-one tuition and mentoring.

MK Dons SET has used the programme as a cost-effective way to establish and develop its own in-house communications to build awareness of its work, communicate key messages to target audiences and boost its digital reach.

Four months into their first experience of working with an apprentice, we caught up with the charity to see what progress has been made.

Consistent and quality content

Hannah Bladen, Head of Operations at MK Dons SET, said: “As the charitable arm of the football club, we’re passionate about giving people opportunities and helping them reach their true potential.

“Having our own full-time content creator means we’re able to consistently communicate key message across multiple platforms to our funders, sponsors, partners and existing audiences.

“Ultimately, we want to shout loud and proud about our work in the community and align it with our charitable goals of helping those we work with to build self-esteem, develop leadership qualities and source a passion for sport.”

Game changer

Taking on an apprentice does not require significant investment financially for charities like MK Dons SET and SMEs with 50 or fewer employees.

Since April, no SMEs have been required to pay for costs associated with apprenticeship training for anyone aged up to 21. In addition, levy-paying organisations can now transfer half of their unused funds to support the development of other businesses – historically they were allowed to share one-quarter of unused funds.

This comes with its obvious advantages – and is why hiring an apprentice is a game changer for many.

“We’re really pleased with the progress of our apprentice,” said Hannah. “Only four months into the role, he has advanced his skills and knowledge of our work to a point where we’re publishing regular quality content through our own internal sign-off process.

“It’s a big responsibility as annually we engage 50,000 participants with thousands of followers across social media too, plus relations with our trustees and funders.

“Having an apprentice has been a game changer, and allowed our existing team to prioritise other areas of work to help us maximise efficiency.”

Building confidence, skills and knowledge

So, four months into his new role as a content creator with MK Dons SET, how is he finding his apprenticeship journey?

He said: “When the job was advertised, I had to take the opportunity with both hands.

“I’m a big football fan, but learning how MK Dons SET operates was an early challenge for me.

“Personally, I feel like my time management and ability to prioritise tasks has already improved because of my apprenticeship. And my confidence writing stories for our website and digital channels has grown too.”

Get in touch!

If you’d like to learn more about Ignite Training’s present portfolio of apprenticeship standards, click here.

Alternatively, you can learn more about how investing in apprenticeships can enhance your business outcomes by contacting our team directly via hello@ignitetraining.com or calling 0300 303 0890.

About Ignite Training

Established in 1999, Ignite’s primary aim is to actively inspire people, and to help create a sense of achievement for everyone. Based in Oxford and operating nationally, we provide a portfolio of training and services to individuals, schools and the sports industry, ranging from weekly clubs for tots to adult courses and apprenticeships.

About Ignite Training