Most people I know aren't exactly looking for a career change at 22 - but that was exactly where I was at in 2009, when I applied to become a leather goods apprentice at Mulberry.
I had left school at 16 to do an apprenticeship in vehicle body and paint, as I loved cars since I can remember. I loved my job but working around strong chemicals used in paint started to affect my skin and breathing.
I was unsure of what other jobs I could do. One day I saw a local newspaper in a recycling bin, the open page had an advert for apprenticeships at fashion label Mulberry.
Soon I had traded my cold, dusty workshop and rubbing down cars among all those fumes, to a big, bright and thankfully warm factory with hundreds of people working together making luxury leather handbags.
One of the best things about the apprenticeship was also one of the most challenging: the variety of the work.
Not only were we taught complex hand-cutting techniques from a senior member of the bag-making team, we were also taught the history of leather production and even visited a tannery – a smell I won't forget in a hurry!
Throughout the apprenticeship we were taught a range of skills: cutting, stitching, skiving (shaving off the edges of the leather pieces so the pieces sit right together on the seams) and inking (dyeing the exposed leather edges in tones that complement the bag) from our more experienced colleagues.
These men and women were our guiding lights and always there to help when we had any problems or questions about our jobs.
Key to my job is the production of Mulberry's signature accessory, the Bayswater.
There are 200 production workers in Mulberry's Somerset factory, who all have a role to play in creating the classic Bayswater or the new piece for the next season.
First, the leather is carved into around 40 separate pieces that make up one bag. These pieces are then sent to the stitching team where it takes at least two hours of intense concentration from a team of machinists to sew the pieces of one bag together.
Finishing touches like straps, buckle detailing, rivets and trims are then added before the bag goes to quality control. Each Bayswater takes over three hours to complete and involves a lot of hard work.
I may one day become a specialist in one of these areas, but at present I am expected to know a bit of everything. Versatility is crucial to becoming a good apprentice – the company has made an investment in me, and they are keen to see where my talents are best suited so that they can get the most out of me.
This works well for me too; it means that I can get the most out of my job. And I hope that the apprenticeship will help me make a career at Mulberry. So the more I know about all aspects of the business, the better equipped I will be to move up within the company.
Besides versatility, enthusiasm is also important – the company wants somebody who is going to be an asset over a long period of time.
The best approach any apprentice can take is to be keen, open to learning as much as you can from your company, and work as hard as you can, because your efforts it will be noticed.
If you are interested in doing a fashion and textiles apprenticeship advice is available from Skillset.
For now I am very competent on a sewing machine and take a lot of pride in the work I produce, but I hope to progress to higher positions, such as manager or supervisor on the factory floor. Who knows, one day I might even run the place!
