As part of this year’s National Apprenticeship Week, we are going to be profiling each of our current cohort over the next four days; providing you with an insight into who they are, why they applied for the scheme and what they hope to gain from it.

Today’s we start with Muhamad Said.

Tell us a little bit about your background…

I was born in East Africa and move to East London when I was young, where I was raised and still live. Growing up, we never really had much and so I’d find myself making toys out of anything that I had to hand. Looking back, that’s probably what led me into a creative line of work!

At what age did you decide that you were interested in the ‘technical’ world?

Ever since primary school, I always knew that I wanted to do something practical. Then, at around 13, I made the decision to go into music and, from this point, spent the next six years being involved in making music and the music industry. However, I eventually had to stop making music or being involved in the industry for religious reasons and so decided to make the leap into the more technical side of the creative industry.

How did you find out about the WL Apprenticeship?

I first heard about the WL Apprenticeship scheme when I attended TheatreCraft back in November 2019. I had also been introduced to WL as a company through the time National College Creatives Industries (NCCI) where I was a student. It was through NCCI that I’d received the chance to take part in two weeks’ work experience at WL. Whilst I was there, I found out even more about the apprenticeship, spoke to the staff who had taken part in the scheme and quickly realised that it would be perfect for me.

What was the Apprenticeship application process like?

Thankfully, the whole process was fairly straightforward. I was asked some questions about why I wanted to join the WL Apprenticeship scheme and what aspects of it interested me. Everyone I spoke to was very friendly and made me feel at home straight away, just like they had during my work experience.

How has the apprenticeship been so far?

So far, it’s been such a great experience. I’ve learnt so much in my short time here so huge credit to all the WL staff that have helped me along the way. A personal highlight for me so far was getting to go onsite and help repair some fixtures. I really do enjoy the challenge of repairing something that’s broken and the satisfaction you get from that, which is what that was a particularly memorable day for me.

What do you hope the apprenticeship will offer you in the long-run?

I’m hoping to gain as much knowledge and experience from the industry that I can over the 18 months and then hopefully continue working at WL (if all goes well!). I’m particularly interested in repairs and the audio department and I see these as my two strongest areas.

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