A teenager from Wandsworth has featured in a new music video which was brought to life in an effort to highlight the work of apprentices.

Kacy Ruff is an 18-year-old hair professional apprentice at Toni & Guy and has teamed up with seven other apprentices to record, produce, and launch an exclusive new soundtrack and music video to celebrate apprenticeships.

The project, which forms part of Department for Education’s Fire It Up campaign, is designed to showcase apprentice talent and the wide range of opportunities that apprenticeships offer.

Kacy said: “I feel strongly about apprenticeships because they’re not spoken about as much as they should be.

"University isn’t for everyone and I want young people like me to have the chance to get the same opportunities that I had.

"I want the video to reach people that think going to university may be the only option for a career. There are so many opportunities for young people out there.

"I had such a fun time at the shoot and met some amazing people. It allowed me to put the skills I’ve learnt in my career in a real-life situation.”

Kacy features in her own behind the scenes video, which can be viewed here

The man behind the video is Jamal Edwards MBE, who founded online urban music platform SB.TV.

He spoke of his own experience of deciding not to go to university.

"People told me I’d fail," he said.

"These days, I’m passionate about showing young people that there are many ways to reach their potential.

"There’s still an assumption that you can only do apprenticeships in trades like plumbing and construction. That view really needs to be reversed, and I hope this track will help get the message out there.

"My advice to parents would be to talk to your kid and work with them to figure out how they can achieve their dreams. It’s been incredible to work with this talented group of apprentices, share my network, and help fire them up for the future.”