Introducing Esme this National Apprenticeship Week

There’s a thing I like to call post-university dread and once upon a time I had it, when I came out of university not knowing what I wanted to do or what path I wanted to take.

Having done a Bachelor of Arts degree in Drama, I knew I wanted to keep that creativity flowing but I didn’t know where to channel it, but, since it’s National Apprenticeship Week next week, I wanted to share the reasons why opting for an apprenticeship brought me clarity.

So this is a ‘who, what, why and where’ of my apprenticeship, with personal experiences and some of my thoughts on why being an apprentice proved to be the best career move for me.

Who??

I’d reached the ripe-old age of 23 when I became an apprentice. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about likely being five years older than all my peers.?

Luckily though, I wasn’t the oldest person in my cohort. Prior to becoming one myself, I thought of apprentices as being 16 – 18-year-olds fresh out of school. Of which, in fairness, there were a few.?

Equally, though, there was me, other post-graduates and mature students who were making a career change – and so, from first-hand experience, I can safely de-bunk the myth that apprenticeships are for high school graduates only.

My apprenticeship offered me the chance to try something totally alien to me, with an open mind and without pressure. After all, I was there to learn and progress, not go head-first into a role I knew nothing about.?

This chance to grow with the role, rather than feel out of my depth, means I now feel confident in my knowledge of marketing and understanding of the industry.?

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What?

An apprenticeship encompasses learning both in-house, with the company who employs you, and with the experts at your apprenticeship provider. This allowed me to implement the theory I was learning and put it into practice, which was a blend I really hadn’t experienced up until this point.?

Learning the why as well as the how has left me with a deeper understanding of the purpose and strategies of different digital avenues, which has equipped me well for the world of marketing.

In my Level 3 Digital Marketing apprenticeship, I covered modules in Coding, Business Principles, Marketing Principles, and Analytics.?

There was a lot to take in, and that’s where the practical element came in extremely useful. Having the ability to go back to my job and put the knowledge into practice solidified my learning plus, with access to both the specialist teams at work and the resources at my training centre, I had the best of both worlds.?

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Why?

I had never dabbled in the world of marketing until I was looking into my career options when becoming a post-grad. Nor had I considered an apprenticeship. Having the opportunity presented to me, however, altered my thinking.?

In all honesty, I was terrified to take the plunge into a career. Unless it was related to my degree directly, the likelihood of me knowing what I was doing was minimal.?

Being offered a position as an apprentice meant I could try my hand at marketing without feeling a hefty expectation on my shoulders and, in retrospect, that’s probably an element of why I fell in love with marketing, because as an apprentice I wasn’t put off by my own inexperience.?

The best part of being an apprentice was the people. Having access to experts from all angles developed my learning massively.?

Firstly, I had my team at MacMartin who guided the way with their expertise, while my mentors at the training hub were armed with knowledge that helped me progress.?

One benefit I appreciated most, however, was the support from my peers. Being an apprentice alongside other ambitious new marketers gave me learning I would not otherwise have had. My cohort was full of marketers from all different industries, each with their own goals, targets, and processes, and there was a lot to learn from each other as a result.?

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Where?

There are some amazing opportunities out there. For me, I found mine at MacMartin – a brilliantly creative marketing agency in Church Broughton. Through connecting with directors Anna and Claire, I was offered a position - post-interview - and enrolled with EMA Training Ltd in Derby.?

After accepting the job, it was really comforting to meet the team at EMA and see how welcoming and supportive they were. I knew I had made a good decision; I’d landed a great job and would be learning amongst great mentors.?

Connections are everything in the business world and working with MacMartin and EMA gave me new opportunities to make those connections, both with my peers and other businesses outside of my day-to-day job and learning.?

Those connections have also enabled me to advance my skills further with the terrific team at Penguin PR on a secondment which forms the next part of my career journey. I don’t believe that opportunity would have been possible without having first completed my apprenticeship.?

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National Apprenticeship Week

That brings me to National Apprenticeship Week, when schools, colleges, and businesses are celebrating apprenticeship schemes.?

Having been an apprentice myself, I can confidently say it opened a new door for me. Taking the first step into marketing as an apprentice led me to a career that I love, and is continuing to provide me with exciting, new doors.