At MK College, vocational courses blend hands-on learning with high-quality equipment to give aspiring young professionals the skills they need for their future workplace. As a former student of the Media Production course, Louis looks back on his journey – the highlights, the teamwork that built his confidence and the industry experience that led to a 13-month apprenticeship with the BBC.

Hi Louis! What did you study at the College and why did you choose your course?

Hi! I just graduated from the two-year Media Production course at MK College this year. I chose the course because I felt that it would give me more hands-on experience in media. I think studying it at school would be more theory-based.

I definitely made the right choice – the studies were great because you get a lot of feedback from the tutors and get to put that back into your work. They’re there to help you, but you have a lot of independence to work in groups. It’s nice to have that responsibility because it helps set you up for your future workplace. Obviously, you have to do your work and make sure you’re not disrupting, but there was a more relaxed atmosphere in class – I think it helps you learn.

You’re currently doing a 13-month apprenticeship at the BBC. Tell me a bit about that.

Yes! I’d applied to university, and I had already done the student finance, so I was ready to go. But we had this assignment in class where we looked at what we want to do after college, and I realised that I wanted to do something else.

My coursework and all the hands-on experience gave me confidence, which definitely helped with securing the apprenticeship. It’s going really well, I’ve been learning lots of new systems and people’s names. It was a little stressful at the start but after a few weeks I now feel more settled. They’ve had lots of apprentices before so they’re really supportive and they all help you if you need anything.

I’m working on the radio side so it’s mainly editing audio, and despite working with a different software, the editing and volume adjustment skills that I learned at the College transferred over to this really well. I’m not completely in the dark, so that helps!

What have been some of your highlights from the apprenticeship?

I’ve had the opportunity to get a lot of valuable training. I went to London for three days for training with the Bauer Academy. Getting to see how other radio companies work and looking around their studios was an incredible experience. It was also great to finally meet my fellow apprentices from all over the South of England in person!

I’ve also spent a week in Cardiff training in the BBC Wales/Cymru building, it was an awesome, worthwhile and helpful experience! As a part of the training, myself and a group of other apprentices produced a 15-minute version of a radio show. We were tasked with creating a mini Radio 5 Live show, and I was one of the presenters! I loved the experience and I’m now exploring other ways to get more presenting experience.

What are your career aspirations?

I want to make the most out of my apprenticeship and take on any opportunities or little jobs that people need doing – I want to do as much of that as I can. I’d like to try a bit of everything. At the radio station, they have people that write news articles and people who run their social media. Hopefully at some point I’ll get the chance to use my skills with the camera too.

What is a highlight from your time at the College?

I really enjoyed the teamwork aspect of the course. Although you get the opportunity to do your own work, most of the time you are working with people in your class, which is great for building connections and teaching you about working with others, which is useful at the workplace. It can highlight people’s strengths and weaknesses, which helps you see how you can improve, but it can also reveal any potential jobs you’d like to do in the future. You kind of help each other figure out possible career paths.

It helps your social skills as well – before joining the College I was a bit nervous and didn’t really talk to people. On reflection, I noticed that the course had made me a more outgoing and confident person.

Would you recommend the course to someone thinking of applying for MK College?

If you want a job in media – whether it’s camera, radio, journalism or social media – I definitely recommend applying for the course. The best part is the hands-on experience you get. It’s really important and improves your confidence.

The tutors also have real-world experience of the industry, so they can talk you through various aspects of the media landscape and give you valuable advice.

Learn more about Media Production at Milton Keynes College  here.