Albania 
Czech Republic 
Deutschland 
Greece 
Hungary 
Ireland 
Italy 
Luxembourg 
Netherlands 
Portugal 
Romania 
Spain 
United Kingdom 
Asia-Pac Middle East 
Turkey 
DR Congo 
Egypt 
Ghana 
Kenya 
Lesotho 
Mozambique 
Nigeria 
South Africa 
Tanzania 
At Vodafone, we offer a myriad of early career opportunities, including university placements, apprenticeships, and graduate schemes. We believe it’s important to develop in these schemes, to discover Vodafone and what the various areas of our business can offer you. We also believe it’s important to develop outside of these schemes - to take advantage of extra-curricular opportunities such as those offered by our employee-led groups.
31st October 2024
Empowering Early Careers at Vodafone: Building Skills, Impacting Communities, and Making Connections
Alicia graduated in Marketing Comms and Advertising and initially joined Vodafone on an industrial placement. After that, she was offered a place on the graduate programme and is currently in the second year, having completed rotations in the Brand team and in Secure Net (cybersecurity). Her current rotation is in the Strategic Partnerships team, focussing on relationships with key partners, such as Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Apple. She also Chairs the employee led volunteering network VolunTeams.
Alicia says that it was some thorough background research that initially led her to Vodafone: “I made a list of stand-out brands, then researched their schemes. Vodafone stood out because of the work the company and Vodafone Foundation do beyond selling phones. For example, in Africa our Vodapay proposition aims to address financial and digital inclusion whilst in India the Sakhi safety service addresses concerns around women’s safety and mobile access.
Anya is on the Vodafone Business Graduate scheme and is working in the digital transformation team on projects ranging from work on generative AI creation to managing B2B web pages. “I have always had a passion for sustainability and corporate social responsibility,” she says. “Therefore, when applying for placement years, I was looking for a company which would allow me to explore these passions. I resonated with Vodafone’s spirit behaviours, in terms of innovation, collaboration and purpose of helping society.”
Anya is the VolunTeams Spirit Lead, and notes that, for early careers candidates in particular, employee groups can boost both personal and professional experience. “Joining groups like Women in Business or VolunTeams allows you to team up with like minded people, explore your passions, and share successes with colleagues.”
VolunTeams network
VolunTeams is an employee-led network that connects Vodafone employees with volunteering opportunities. We make volunteering more accessible and enable Group and Vodafone UK colleagues to utilise their five charity days and directly support and give back to our local communities. The network is led by 14 colleagues from the different youth schemes, who run the network in addition to their day job.
Alicia: “I'm responsible for setting VolunTeam’s strategy, setting our goals, organising committee logistics, and providing development opportunities to the committee. I'm also on hand to answer queries from across the business and provide insight & knowledge on how to volunteer. Being a network committee member provides lots of exposure across the business and has definitely helped to build my professional network.”
“I help support our Vodafone Spirit,” says Anya. “I work with other groups such as the youth committee, or Women in Business - and other departments - to encourage volunteering and set up opportunities. I also work with all the committee members to support any initiatives we have going on and help form relationships with other charities.”
Rewarding experiences
Ultimately, all VolunTeams members take most satisfaction from making a difference in their communities through the volunteer projects they participate in. Anya’s most memorable experience to date was a morning spent decorating a local school for Christmas: “Seeing how excited the children were about the decorations and how thankful the teachers were that we were there and helping to take the pressure off their busy schedules was so rewarding.”
For Alicia, another school was the setting for her favourite VolunTeams project: “Last August, we arranged for over 35 Vodafone employees to transform two merging schools into a welcoming environment for the pupils in time for the new term. It was a huge job and they couldn't do it alone. The school teachers were so emotional over the difference our volunteers made, and the school is only 15 minutes from our Paddington office so we could really feel the direct positive impact we made right here in the community.
“I joined VolunTeams because I am hugely passionate about social impact - I love seeing the difference Vodafone colleagues make to our communities. VolunTeams is also a great opportunity to build your CV outside of your main role. You can take complete ownership and be responsible for managing projects end to end.”
Alicia is keen to point out that there are many such Vodafone employee groups that cover a wide variety of special interests and impact areas. “Jump in and get involved, don't wait to be asked!” she says. “You could join a network, or support projects within your wider team and actively reach out to areas you like the sound of. Go and ask how you can get involved. Extra curriculars are great ways to boost your CV, expand your network and learn what potential career pathways you do and don't like.
“Everyone is so welcoming, friendly and supportive of your development. In nearly 3 years I haven't met a single person that wasn't nice or didn't want to help me grow!”
Both Alicia and Anya see plenty of opportunities ahead - guided both by their ambition, and by their experiences on the graduate schemes and with employee groups. “I am really looking forward to getting involved in different areas of the business,” says Anya. “To try new things and to gather insights into areas I may want to work in after the grad scheme.”
“Personally, I really want to work abroad in the next few years,” says Alicia. “And with Vodafone's global footprint this is absolutely a realistic goal. If you are in the early stages of learning about Vodafone, a key thing to know is that we do so much more than just selling phones! It’s a huge organisation with many layers, so there is endless opportunity for learning and growth no matter where you are in your career.”
Thinking out joining our early careers programs?
Click the link below to view more information on our current graduate and apprenticeship vacancies
