The experience of apprentices at Telestack
If you are thinking of applying for an apprenticeship you should watch this series we created for Telestack.
This series was captured over a number of days and there are four videos in total.
The aim of the series was to provide more knowledge about apprenticeships, what they involve and why they are a great route for many people.
The videos are included below which takes you though the experiences of the apprentices at Telestack.
The videos were created in widescreen, square and vertical formats so that they can be published across a variety of social media channels.
These videos were made to coincide with Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week and National Apprenticeship Week in 2025.
Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week occurred from 3-7th February 2025 closely followed by National Apprenticeship Week starting 10th February through to 16th February.
Apprenticeship week allows any students thinking of applying for an apprenticeship to meet businesses and get a better understanding of the industries that they are interested in.
Many of Telestack’s apprentices applied through the MEGA Degree Apprentice scheme.
MEGA is an organisation built to create a collaborative network to promote the high value job roles that provide skills and job opportunities that the manufacturing and engineering sector has to offer.
Video 1: Our Apprentices
This video is an introduction to the Telestack apprentices, diving into why they went down the apprenticeship route.
Jason Lindsay, an apprentice with Ulster University, talks about coming straight from A Levels and the experience he has gained in material handling.
Nathan Maguire, a MEGA Degree Apprentice explains that he doesn’t believe he would have learnt as much through a full time degree.
Cillian Cullinan, a MEGA Degree Apprentice talks about how well Telestack treat him and the benefit of working alongside other apprentices.
Oisin McCullagh talks about the supportive team in Telestack and how it was one of his team leaders that urged him to apply for the apprenticeship.
Video 2: The Value of Apprenticeships
In this video, the apprentices discuss the value they feel they have received through their apprenticeship with Telestack.
Jake Lindsay talks about the correlation between what you learn in tech and what you learn in work and the manufacturing processes along with the book work learnt in tech.
Oisin talks about when he was learning something in college he was doing it in work, making it easier to understand and get experience immediately.
Carter Halliday, a MEGA Degree Apprentice talks about the welcoming environment at Telestack and the relationships he has built within the company.
Cillian talks about learning plenty in the work space and being able to continually work on things rather than falling out of practice after a placement year.
Dervla O’Donnell talks about the 6 years of experience as well as a full degree that she’ll have once the apprenticeship is complete, talking about how this has reassured her for the future.
Video 3: Why Choose an Apprenticeship?
The apprentices discuss why they chose apprenticeships and when they realised a full time degree wasn’t the ideal choice for them.
Carter talks about knowing he didn’t want to go to university after finishing school as he wanted to learn a trade and a skill instead.
Dervla knew she didn’t want to go to university and wanted to do an apprenticeship from the beginning of secondary school as she wanted to do something more hands on rather than sitting in a classroom all day.
James Bunting, a MEGA Degree Apprentice shares that his school told him about apprenticeships and why it was a good option for him, talking about the benefits of on-the-job training and education.
Jake speaks about wanting to earn while he was learning as well as keep progressing through the business as he gets more experience.
Jason talks about his work placement after GCSE’s with Telestack and how that influenced his choice towards picking an apprenticeship over a full time university degree.
Video 4: My Apprenticeship Experience
In this video, the apprentices dive further into their experience as an apprentice with Telestack and why they would recommend to others thinking about an apprenticeship to give it a go.
Nathan talks about the benefits of experience with an apprenticeship and how important experience is for your future in the working world.
Carter says to anyone considering apprentices that you shouldn’t count it out as he feels he has learnt so much more than he could have if he just did the degree.
Cillian states that he doesn’t see why a full time degree is any better than an apprenticeship as he thinks that the apprenticeship has so much more to offer.
Jason talks about the conversations you have with all members of the team and the little bits of knowledge you can pick up through this daily.