Time has flown so fast, but I am happy to say that I have now officially passed my Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship after a 14-month adventure with Escapade PR and Marketing!
Christmas has definitely come early for me, as I can confirm that I will be staying on with the team as a Digital Marketing Executive!
I feel very grateful to be working with such a lovely group of ladies and I want to thank them all for their continuing support! I also want to thank LDN Apprenticeships and my Skills Coach Dan Adams, for helping me through all the requirements to pass, I couldn’t have done it without them!
This blog details my experience so far and gives some top tips for new apprentices looking to start this journey, whether in digital marketing or a different passion!
Why an apprenticeship?
The decision to start a new career path was daunting at first as it was a big transition! My background is in retail, and I have an Acting degree so quite different to the world of digital marketing!
But I was ready for a change and for a progression in my career! I had been drawn to learning about Digital Marketing skills such as Social Media Marketing, Copywriting, SEO, as well as many others and I researched the best way to approach this new career.
I felt an apprenticeship would be a perfect way to have the opportunity and space to learn and grow through study and to put these skills into practice in my day-to-day job role.
After applying with LDN Apprenticeships and meeting their requirements, I then went through the process of interviewing for different marketing positions and was very happy to land a role with Escapade!
What has the apprenticeship involved?
The apprenticeship has had a range of elements to it. This has included 3 exams on Digital Marketing topics (using lots of cue cards to revise!), 4 projects, and a final interview with an examiner about the work I had completed throughout.
Most of the projects were write ups of campaigns and tasks that I had completed as part of the Escapade team which included evidence to show I had met the requirements for the qualification.
This work has been completed alongside the client and company work that I have undertaken with Escapade.
What have I learnt so far?
My time at Escapade so far has been a great introduction to so many different parts of digital marketing as well as learning about PR too!
I have learnt how to use Meta Ads Manager, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, Google Analytics, WordPress, and Social Media platforms for campaign work for clients and company.
I have particularly enjoyed developing my SEO knowledge to implement into writing blogs for the website with my awesome colleagues.
I am excited to continue to grow with the team and develop my knowledge even further!
My Top Tips for New Apprentices
- Ask Questions- do not be afraid to ask questions if you do not understand a task or need more clarity on a topic. As an apprentice you are meant to be learning! Plus, it shows you care about the job you are doing by checking details to ensure you are doing it correctly.
- Be proactive in your studies/work- juggling work and studying can be tricky sometimes even with your allocated study hours in the week. Be proactive by using your time efficiently, especially at the beginning. By getting ahead of apprenticeship tasks when slowly building work responsibilities, you might find that you have got more time to focus on busier work periods as you are up to date or ahead of schedule with your apprenticeship plan.
- Believe in yourself- imposter syndrome is real and something I have dealt with throughout this transition, especially coming from an acting and retail background. Take a deep breath and remind yourself of all the small wins you are achieving throughout your day. Change can be scary but in it lies a time to grow as a person professionally and personally. You’ve got this!
- Bring in your other skills- do not be afraid to be yourself! Using your past work and study skills can make you a well-rounded member of the team. For example, I have found my acting skills have come in handy when presenting work to the team. And my knowledge from working in supermarkets has been beneficial as we are predominantly a food and drink PR and Marketing company! You never know what transferrable skills you might need to use!
- Stay organised- develop your own organisation system to keep on top of your work. Keeping on track of your training plan and meeting deadlines will help with the smooth running of your work and your apprenticeship. Whether that’s adding important dates to a physical or online calendar, writing a plan for a blog ahead of time, or answering important emails quickly and professionally, these are important skills to learn to keep on top of your workload.
Overall, it has been a fantastic 14- months with the Escapade team, and I am so excited to see what 2024 brings for the whole team!
But first- Christmas! If you’ve made it this far, the Escapade team and I would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Want to get into the festive spirit even more? Check out Escapade’s blog post on The Best Christmas Adverts 2023 Has To Offer So Far!
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Blog Cover Photo: Victor Metelskiy
