Future Makers: Mitalee - From Trainee to Team Member
FUTURE MAKERS | Stories from Goldfinger Academy's award-winning Future Makers traineeships - a free outreach programme, providing training, career guidance, mentoring and work experience to young people in our community.
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Creating a handwoven stool as part of our Future Makers traineeship in May 2024.
Mitalee - From Trainee to Team Member
Originally hailing from Mumbai, Mitalee came to Goldfinger as a graduate of Central Saint Martins struggling to break into the job market. Having followed us on social media during her studies, Mitalee signed up for our May Future Makers traineeship, spending a week with us learning hands-on design skills and crafting a hand-woven stool under the guidance of furniture makers Daniele Barco and Chiara Raponi.
“Applying for this traineeship felt like the perfect opportunity to reconnect with my craft, reignite my creativity, and learn something new.”
- Mitalee
In the workshop.
Following this, we were so pleased to invite Mitalee back to join us as a paid Workshop Assistant, supporting the coordination of our July and August traineeships for the next group of Future Makers trainees, effortlessly showing them the ropes despite having been a trainee herself only months prior.
“It was my first time stepping into a teaching role, and being on the other side of the desk gave me a fresh perspective on the learning process... Sharing the same tips and tricks [that had been taught to me] during my traineeship felt like coming full circle, and highlighted the value of passing on knowledge and skills.”
- Mitalee
Supporting our 2024 summer traineeships, guiding the next cohort of Future Makers trainees to build benches inspired by our Trellick Tower home.
In the autumn, we then invited Mitalee back once again to join us as a part-time Production Assistant, working closely alongside our Head of Design to support live projects, design commissions, and showroom coordination. Mitalee was a joy to work with from the very beginning, and we were so pleased to have her work with us as a true member of the Goldfinger team for a few months.
“Entering the creative job market has been both exciting and challenging. The competition is intense, and many roles require significant experience, making the transition from academic projects to professional work daunting... The trust and support I’ve received from the Goldfinger team have been instrumental in my growth, and I’m excited to continue building on this foundation."
- Mitalee
In the workshop.
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We are so delighted that we were able to help Mitalee take those first steps in her career in design. With your support, we can make an even bigger difference.
Supporting Future Makers means helping more young people like Julius to take the first steps towards careers in design and making. Here's how you can get involved:
- Help a young person take their first steps into woodworking and design by referring them to our Future Makers traineeships. They can stay up to date on our Academy programmes by signing up to our newsletter, or following us on Instagram.
Create more opportunities by funding places, tools, and materials, directly opening doors for more young people who wouldn’t otherwise have access.
- Support the next generation of designers and makers by sponsoring a one-week Future Makers traineeship and even step in as a “Dragon” at our end-of-programme pitch day.
Get in touch with Chris, our Head of Impact, to discuss how you can make a lasting impact.
