Sheffield GCSE pupil joins career ladder after securing apprentice role during pandemic

Sophia Ward, a pupil at High Storrs School, had been due to sit her GCSE exams this year – all of which were cancelled due to Covid-19 - and was predicted to receive a handful of A-grades.

But whatever her results this Thursday, unlike many of her peers from the class of 2020, the 16-year-old will be unruffled.

She secured a job interview during the pandemic and started work as a Digital Marketing Apprentice on July 6.

She said: "When I got the job I just couldn’t believe it. This was my opportunity of a career. I grabbed it with both hands.

“It has been a really difficult few months for people my age who worked really hard throughout secondary school and never got to prove themselves with exams, or say goodbye to their classmates.

“But I am now in a job I’m loving with a supportive company. I feel really lucky.”

Growing up, Sophia helped in dad’s business and wanted to gain an IT apprenticeship but feared she would struggle to find a job during lockdown.

But her hopes rose when she saw an apprenticeship in a different sector advertised by The Source Skills Academy.

Business development officer, Kerry Cook, said: “I received her application for an admin role and her abilities stood out.

“She was perfect for a more demanding digital marketing apprenticeship, advertised before lockdown by Sheffield estate agents Blenheim Park Estates.”

Blenheim Park Estates had put recruiting on hold but opted to interview ‘stand-out candidate’ Sophia.

Marketing manager Emma Brocklebank said: “Sophia had high predicted grades, but what impressed us was her confidence and passion. She was exactly what we were looking for.

"Lockdown had put our apprentice search on hold, but taking on an apprentice was the right thing to do. Not only is our business thriving, we have enabled a 2020 school-leaver to begin their career in a very uncertain time.”

She now hopes other businesses will look past grades and give “young people with a strong work ethic the chance they deserve.”

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