On Tuesday 11 September 2018, I started my Digital Marketing apprenticeship with Creative Process at Plus Accounting. Fast forward 15 months and my apprenticeship has now come to an end where I have achieved a grade of distinction.
In this blog, I will be looking at my journey from start to finish and why I believe it is well worth looking at if you’re interested in a similar career pathway.
When I finished my A-Levels at college I was hit with a very difficult and daunting decision on where I should take my next step and in which direction I should take it. However, after looking at many careers I felt my interests and past qualifications suited a route into Digital Marketing. I decided to go down the route of an apprenticeship with Creative Process as I felt the experience in a workplace environment whilst earning a wage was more beneficial than going to university. University is still a great option for obtaining further qualifications and getting you the job you want but I felt that I could do that without the three/ four-year course and the inevitable debt that comes with university.
Apprenticeships are definitely on the rise in the UK with it becoming a more attractive option for people once they finish their A Levels. The myth of ‘apprenticeships just mirror the manager and make coffee’ couldn’t be any further from the truth, although I do love a cup of coffee. Over the past 15 months, I have gained experience on the job, been given the platform to voice my ideas and been given a great amount of responsibility in the workplace.
How do you become a Digital Marketing apprentice?
When I finished my A Levels, I wasted no time in applying for apprenticeships in Digital Marketing and I found vacancies on the ‘find an apprenticeship’ page on the government website. These vacancies were all posted by Creative Process which is when I decided to sign up to one of their ‘recruitment sessions’ to get a taste of what the roles involve and more detail about apprenticeships as a whole. After this, I was successful in an interview with Plus Accounting and I started my new role and the course in September 2018.
What is the BCS Digital Marketing apprenticeship?
The course I began studying was titled ‘BCS Level 3 in Digital Marketing’ and this course involved a breakdown of elements from modules to projects to a portfolio. The 3 modules were Marketing Principles (passed with 34/40), Google Analytics (passed with 64/70) and Principles of Coding (passed with 13/20) and they were delivered by a great team over at Creative Process through classroom and distance learning sessions. As well as these modules I had to complete a 4-day Synoptic Project and produce a Portfolio on the work I had completed in the workplace.
What’s it like working at Plus Accounting?
At Plus Accounting, I assist Vicky King with all things marketing from managing our online presence through social media to content creation to organising and promoting events. I have very much enjoyed my time at Plus Accounting so far as it’s a great place to work. I’ve felt very welcome here from the start and the wellbeing initiatives that are in place show how much the firm cares for its staff. I have been provided with great opportunities to attend events and conferences such as BrightonSEO, Brighton Chamber events on Facebook Ad Campaigns and a Video Day with Jez Kay looking into video for business.
Along with attending business events, I have also had the chance to take part in charitable events as part of the firm’s corporate social responsibility programme. These events include 5-a side football tournaments for Ronald McDonald House and ThoughtShift as well as a Snail Selfie Challenge for Martlets (which I am very pleased to have won with the team).
What next?
Following the conclusion of the my apprenticeship in December 2019, I started a new, permanent role as a Marketing Assistant at Plus Accounting in January 2020. 4 years on and I have since completed a Level 4 Professional Digital Marketing qualification with the Chartered Institute of Marketing as well as their Level 6 Diploma in Professional Digital Marketing meaning I now have an ACIM membership.
Author: James Hooper, Digital Marketing Apprentice, Plus Accounting
Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal, belong solely to the blog owner and do not represent those of Plus Accounting. All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site