THE first female IT apprentice at Bradford-based Yorkshire Building Society has become the new campaign promoting apprenticeships at the society.

Mya Griffiths, from Bradford, stars in a new animated video by the society promoting apprenticeships.

She explains in the video how she chose her career as a YBS apprentice, after leaving sixth form where she was studying for her A-Levels.

The former Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College student, 19, was a keen gymnast at school, but decided she wanted to push herself mentally as well as physically when she took up the apprenticeship and became the Society’s first female IT apprentice.

She will also be starting a part-time degree in September while continuing to work at YBS.

Miss Griffiths said: “It’s been great fun watching my own journey to becoming an apprentice be turned into an animated video.

“I was really happy to be chosen to highlight the Society’s apprenticeship programme.

“I decided to leave sixth-form to become a Yorkshire Building Society apprentice while I was studying for my A-Levels but I haven’t lost out.

“I’ve still managed to complete my Business A-Level I was studying for in my spare time.

“While at school I did some work experience as a business analyst at Yorkshire Water for two weeks which was my first time in a work environment and got me thinking about what I wanted from a career.

“The apprenticeship scheme at the Society has really helped me to gain a better understanding of the working world and I will soon be fully qualified and in a full-time role once my apprenticeship is complete next month.

“Once qualified I will be continuing with my education by starting a Digital and Technology Solutions degree course at Leeds Beckett University part time in September.”

YBS has offered apprenticeships in a number of key business areas for the last three years, including in IT, Customer Services, Project Management and Cyber Security, based at its offices in Bradford and Leeds.

All apprentices are paid above the Living Wage and received permanent contracts, so received the same benefits as other members of staff.

Andy Tupman, manager of the apprenticeship programme, said: “We’re committed to providing great career pathways for our apprentices and fostering an inclusive culture for them to thrive.

“For us, there’s no such thing as a typical apprentice. You could be just out of school, looking to change your career, newly graduated or just out of retirement.

“There’s no average age, no average background and no experience required – we would much rather find applicants with the right values and passion for exceeding customer expectations.”

Last year, YBS’s apprenticeship programme was named the Newcomer Large Employer of the Year at the National Apprenticeship Awards, run by the National Apprenticeship Service which recognises excellence in businesses that grow their own talent with apprentices, and apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.

YBS has also been named in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer list, compiled annually by the NAS.

For more information about the types of apprenticeships available at YBS, visit ybs.co.uk/apprentices