A night of celebrations
- Nov 5, 2021
- 2 min read
On the 6th of October graduated apprentices, current apprentices, employers, tutors, and coaches gathered to celebrate a whopping 10 Cohorts worth of graduations at Rain Bar in Manchester. Due to Covid, we were unable to celebrate in style when the groups finished their qualifications throughout 2020 and earlier in 2021, so a big celebration for cohorts 17-27 was well overdue. After weeks of planning, designing certificates, organising speakers and venues, the day quickly arrived. And that was well worth the wait!
The evening started with a bit of mingling as guests trickled in and were welcomed with fizz on arrival. It was lovely to see apprentices old and new getting to re-unite with each other and for many, actually meet them in person for the first time, instead of just online! After all the introductions, everyone sat down ready for the ceremony led by Sandy Lindsay MBE. As each individual walked up to collect their certificate, we celebrated a mix of qualifications as the older cohorts did the Digital Marketing Level 3 and the more recent cohorts, the Junior Content Production Level 3.
Stephen Kelly from Cohort 27
Humaira Khan from Cohort 22
Jenny Hirst, Cohort 19
After everyone had their photos taken holding their long-awaited certificates, we were lucky enough to have a panel of graduated apprentices made up of Laura Lightfoot, Cohort 22, Apadmi, Emma Green, Cohort 17, MediaCityUK and Ali Hussain, Cohort 27, Komi Group to speak about their journeys and what exciting things they are doing now. They provided the current apprentices with wonderful advice on taking up every opportunity they can and not being afraid to ask questions, not only in their apprenticeships but also in their careers.
We then were lucky enough to hear from Eve Young a former Juice apprentice who graduated over 5 years ago, and Pollyanna Ward from Social Chain. They delivered a talk ‘My social media career: How it started vs how it’s going’, exploring the timeline of their careers. Eve was an apprentice in Cohort 12, so it was great for our current apprentices/recently graduated apprentices to see the huge success she’s had since graduating from the programme.
After all the panels and talks were complete, it was time for more mingling, prosecco, and photos. There was an opportunity for graduates to have their photos taken with their caps and gowns. Here are just a few captured that night:
Ali Hussain and Leah Collins from Cohort 27
Molly Standring, Cohort 20 and Jade Jones, Cohort 22
We are so glad that we finally had chance to celebrate not only Cohort 17-27’s qualifications but also the incredible achievements they have made since finishing their apprenticeship programme. It has been amazing watching them grow in self-confidence and developing their skills throughout their apprenticeships and now into their careers. They all are now alumni’s that the next group of apprentices can look up to find inspiration from. To our alumni, we wish you all the best of luck in your careers, keep working hard and stay in touch!
The “meet in person for the first time” bit is so relatable — you can work with someone for months and still not really know their vibe until you’re in the same room. I’d be interested in what the grads on the panel said about confidence building after finishing (especially for content roles). Slightly off-topic, but getting ready for events like this always has people experimenting with hair last minute, and a quick trying a hairstyle ai preview is basically how my friends decide what to do now. Hope you share more from the panel talk.
Putting ten cohorts together is such a cool idea — it probably helped the newer apprentices see what the “after” looks like, not just the coursework. I also like that you called out how many people were meeting properly for the first time; that’s a pretty big moment that doesn’t show up on a certificate. Total tangent, but all the photos and celebratory vibe made me think of those Ghibli-style photo art edits people do for keepsakes. Would be fun to see some of the group shots from the night.
The detail about apprentices meeting in person for the first time really landed — it’s such a different energy compared to “we’ve only ever chatted on Teams.” I’m curious what advice the panel gave about the first few months after graduating, because that transition can be weirdly abrupt. Side note, the way you’ve documented the event feels like the kind of write-up I’ve seen when browsing hrefgo for other programmes and tools people mention. Either way, sounds like a night everyone needed.
Celebrating ten cohorts together feels like such a uniquely “post-Covid” thing — like everyone’s making up for lost time in one night. Also, Rain Bar in Manchester is a solid choice for that kind of catch-up atmosphere, especially with the fizz-on-arrival touch. Random side thought: the emphasis on safety and responsibility after a big night out always makes me think of using a quick rough bac calculator estimate before even considering driving home. The panel of grads sounds like the part I’d have stayed for.
I like that you mentioned people meeting face-to-face for the first time — it’s easy to forget how much of apprenticeship life was basically “screen only” for a while. The panel bit sounds like the best part, hearing what actually happened after the certificate photo moment; it’s funny, the vibe reminded me of taking a quick brain break with BlockBlast between long Zoom sessions back then. Seeing cohorts 17–27 together must’ve felt like closing a big chapter.