Plastic, invented in 1907 by Alexander Parkes, was once seen as the brilliant material that could be made cheap, used once and thrown away without much thought. Yet now we know that all the plastic that has ever been made, is still intact on the planet. It can take hundreds of years to degrade, or in the case of polyestyrene, perhaps never.

What did your work place do to raise money for Comic Relief?

Do you know what the day raises money for?

We’ve spoken about the pros and cons of an apprenticeship and uni – there’s positives to both. The message we want to get across is that apprenticeships have changed, for the better. Ultimately when you choose your next steps after school it needs to be what you want to do. It’s not what everyone else is doing, not what your parents want you to do, it’s your decision.

Brick layer, butchers apprentice, mechanic, plumber and farm hand. The typical, non-academic, job roles that may instantly come to mind when you think about what jobs are available by doing an apprenticeship.

I always thought apprenticeships were for school leavers and young people taking their first step on the career ladder. After enduring a turbulent time at school I’d left without any qualifications, however I’ve now been in employment for over 4 years. During this time, I’ve built up a wealth of knowledge and experience that I thought would stand me in good stead for my career.

So, I’m not a school leaver but I am an apprentice. I never thought a 40-year-old man like myself would qualify for a Network Engineer Level 4 Apprenticeship. When I was offered the chance I really had to think about the pros and cons and do some research, as I didn’t know much about it.

Before becoming an Apprentice I assumed that I’d be given no important responsibilities. I thought I’d be making tea for the office and laminating every day (like an intern). I think it’s a common misconception that an apprenticeship doesn’t hold any real work place experience.

Skills training within a business, whatever size that may be, is a fantastic way to improve and maintain productivity of employees.

What are the benefits?

9:00: First thing I do to start off my day is checking all the company Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages and catch up with the rest of the marketing team. This is when I look to see what’s trending on each platform and checking the news for any relevant stories to share. I then go onto content planning. I write tweets and statuses ready for the day and schedule them on Buffer. Although I must ensure that everything is written in-keeping with the ‘voice’ of the brand, I really enjoy how creative I can be with this role, it’s never boring, I get to write about current and interesting trends and give things my own personal touch.

There’s a stigma around working in the care sector. Here’s a few reasons why you should consider it: