Bristol, June 2026. Pro Apprenticeships, the Ofsted Outstanding apprenticeship training provider based in Bristol, has launched HerStart, a community initiative connecting women leaving education with real career opportunities in creative, tech and marketing.
The numbers make the case. Women hold just 22% of specialist IT roles in the UK. Only 34% of managers and directors across the creative industries are women. In marketing, despite women making up 72% of the workforce, the full-time gender pay gap has reached 21.7%. Between 40,000 and 60,000 women leave the UK’s tech and digital sector every single year, not because of childcare, but because of limited progression, poor recognition and pay inequity.
HerStart exists to intervene earlier. Before the career starts. Before the ceiling.
The First Event
HerStart Bristol: Breakfast with Bristol’s Trailblazers
Wednesday 2 July 2026, 8-10am
We The Curious, Bristol
HerStart launches with a breakfast networking event at We The Curious in Bristol. The morning brings together Bristol employers, educators and women considering their next step, with a live panel of young women already doing it.
The panel features current PA apprentices building careers in creative, tech and marketing, demonstrating to Bristol employers what backing young women from the start looks like. It is not a lecture. It is proof.
Doors open 8am. Panel begins 8:30am. The event is free to attend.
Founded by Carina Wills
Pro Apprenticeships was founded in 2016 by Carina Wills, who knows the moment HerStart is designed to reach, because she lived it.
“When I left school, my options were hairdressing or beauty. Nobody sat me down and said you could run your own business one day. Nobody told me what I was capable of. Here we are years down the line, one of the best apprentice providers in the country.
HerStart is for the girl I was. The one who doesn’t realise yet her potential.”
Carina went on to build Pro Apprenticeships from a solo venture in South Bristol into an Ofsted Outstanding provider with a 94% distinction rate. PA achieved maximum marks at its 2021 Ofsted monitoring visit, then Outstanding at its first ever full inspection in 2023. A combination described as virtually unheard of in the sector.
HerStart is what happens when someone who lived it decides to change it.
The Founding Ambassadors
HerStart launches with three founding ambassadors: women already building careers in creative, tech and marketing through apprenticeships. Each brings a different story, a different discipline and a different reason to be part of this.
Laila Ba, IT Apprentice at Triangle Networks
Laila is building her career in IT and won the PA IT Apprentice of the Year. She’s described by her employer at Triangle Networks as someone who rises to every challenge with enthusiasm and resilience.
A natural learner, she brings genuine curiosity to every task, always asking why, never satisfied with surface-level understanding. Her colleagues highlight her ability to build strong working relationships quickly and contribute meaningfully to a team from the start. As a founding ambassador, Laila represents what is possible when a young woman is placed in an environment that believes in her.
Daphne Kalaitzis, Content Creator Apprentice at SpiderGroup
Daphne is a content creator with a rare combination of creative instinct and analytical rigour. At SpiderGroup, she has taken full ownership of content across multiple client accounts, from planning and production through to performance reporting.
Daphne won PA Content Creator Apprentice of the Year, noting that her video work demonstrates a strong understanding of pacing, structure and audience engagement. What sets Daphne apart is that she does not just create and move on. She measures what works, adjusts what does not, and brings fresh ideas consistently, keeping content timely and on-brand across different client industries.
Chloe Pavey, Multi-Channel Marketer at Talking Stick Digital
Chloe joined Talking Stick Digital as an apprentice and was handed real responsibility from day one. Rather than filler tasks, she was given genuine clients and true ownership of her work, collaborating directly with senior colleagues, including both managing directors, who invested seriously in her growth.
She describes the culture at TSD as one where progression is actively supported, and her own trajectory reflects that. Just seven months after completing her apprenticeship, Chloe was promoted to Senior Account Executive and won PA’s Multi-Channel Marketing Apprentice of the Year. She is exactly the kind of professional HerStart exists to create.
About HerStart
HerStart is a community initiative powered by Pro Apprenticeships. It is designed for women at the early stages of their career who are considering a route into creative, tech or marketing. The programme connects applicants with employers, ambassadors and practical support to help them take their next step with confidence.
The programme launches in Bristol, with plans to grow.
For event enquiries or to find out more, contact Pro Apprenticeships, info@pro-app.co.uk.
About Pro Apprenticeships
Pro Apprenticeships is an Ofsted Outstanding apprenticeship training provider based in Bristol. Founded in 2016 by Carina Wills, PA supports apprentices and employers across marketing, business administration, IT, software, data, AI and teaching. PA achieved the maximum marks available at its 2021 Ofsted monitoring visit and Outstanding at its first full inspection in 2023.
Sources
BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, Gender Diversity in the Tech Sector Report, 2025
Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, Audiences and Workforces in Arts, Culture and Heritage, 2024
Oliver Wyman, Women in UK Tech, 2025
Marketing Week, Career & Salary Survey, 2026