Blog April 2023: In at the Deep End - Life as an Apprentice at Target

This month, in our series of blogs from all sides of the Target Components Limited / Servers Plus business, our Digital Marketing Assistant, Beth, discusses her experiences as an apprentice, and her expectations of the workplace vs. reality. For those who've been in careers for a long time, this is an eye-opener...

My name is Beth, and I joined the Target team on a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship in August 2022. Eight months have passed since then and I’m in disbelief at how fast the time has gone. When I started, I had no idea quite what was in store for me…

I graduated from university with a degree in Media & Communications and an uncertainty for which career path to take. Knowing only that I wanted to work in a role that encouraged creativity, a career in marketing felt like the natural next step. I spent some time learning about the basic elements of digital marketing in my own time but felt that I needed mentorship, resources and an environment where I could learn.

So, I decided to apply for an apprenticeship through Baltic Apprenticeships , an incredibly well-respected apprenticeships provider. Discussing my aspirations and enthusiasm for digital marketing, Baltic then told me about a potential position at Target…

It felt a bit daunting arriving for my first day, especially as this is my first job ever. I had no idea what to expect, other than an idea of what my position of Digital Marketing Assistant would entail but wasn’t convinced it’d be any more than a supporting role – I partly worried I’d just be here to make the coffee. But I wouldn’t have time for that - from the get-go I have been given plenty of responsibilities, including creating Target’s social media and marketing content.

Even without any experience, I could see that life at Target is fast-paced. But more than that, there’s a passion for what Target does, how it behaves and a desire to help customers that I’ve never see from a business’s side before. Is this what every business is like?

So, to fit in, I needed to make myself part of the Target furniture. Everyone takes their responsibilities very seriously so, even though I thought I was ‘just’ an assistant, I needed to contribute from the get-go. I had to learn about messaging, how we communicate to our customers, suppliers and staff efficiently. I had to work out who the stakeholders are in the things I do, making sure it aligns with what products and brands are coming in and how they are represented.

Working in the Target Build Room, where all Target’s own and customers’ custom PCs are made, and helping to build and test a PC myself, was a valuable, practical way of getting to grips with the alchemy of system building – learning what each component does how it affects and benefits all the other parts to function and, ultimately, do what it was designed for.

From my first day I have been made to feel at home. Each member of staff has made me feel welcome and supported my learning. In my first week, I visited each department to understand their roles in the company and how each works together to do what Target does best – supporting the success of our customers. In turn, that has helped me understand my own role and where it fits in the business – the Marketing Department basically has to know everything, from products and brands, to the wide variety of customers we have, to how each of those customers if different from others, with different requirements, different customer bases and different aspirations. Before I started, I had no idea of the influence my job would have.

One of the biggest surprises as a new employee is how Target’s status as an Employee Owned Trust (EOT) is obvious. The Employee Trust places the majority ownership in the hands of the Target staff, meaning that the interests of staff (and customers) are at the epicentre of the company. It also means that everything every member of staff does or doesn’t do influences the rest of the business and our customers.

Over the following months, I’ve learnt a great deal about digital marketing, the IT industry and Target. Before I started, I didn’t know the first thing about IT (I’d never even heard of a Custom PC). Following months of training, mentoring and a helpful day in the build room, I still feel like I’m learning something new every day – but that’s what I’m here for.

And that’s the best thing about my job – it never stands still. Not for a minute. As soon as one thing is done, another completely different one follows directly behind. And I love it – I get bored easily but I have never been bored at Target, not for a second. But the rewards are there too – aside from being paid, obviously, seeing my own creativity actually published and actually influencing our customers’ decisions is pretty satisfying!

From an apprentice’s point-of-view, I’m lucky to have the opportunity to be so involved as an employee, whilst also being afforded the time to continue with my apprenticeship qualifications. The projects that form a large part of my studies are really helped by the experience I’m getting day-to-day. I’m encouraged to try things out, even if they don’t work well. But I’m also encouraged to work out why they didn’t work, and try something different next time. As long as I progress and learn and get better at my job every day, I’m doing the right thing.

I am now halfway through my apprenticeship, and I can happily say that I am looking forward to my next months at Target. We’ve got product and brand launches coming up, some great promotions and Target’s annual Open Day in September, all of which I will be involved in, whether it’s in the planning and execution of campaigns or getting big names like Microsoft, Intel and Google to come and exhibit.

Target is fiercely proud. It’s full of big personalities that want the best for the company and it’s customers, many of whom have been loyal to Target for years. And I plan on being one of them – I honestly couldn’t have asked for a more varied role, more passionate colleagues, or such a great place to learn at the beginning of my career than at Target.