Apprenticeships offer an opportunity for those wanting to start their careers or upskill at other levels. More than 640 high-quality apprenticeships have been approved for use by employers in a wide range of industries and there are currently hundreds of apprenticeship vacancies on offer. There has never been a better time to do an apprenticeship since the government are pushing boundaries by investing in high-quality training and enhancing the quality of apprenticeships so that they can be the best they possibly can be.
What Is An Apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is simply a paid job where the employee is given the opportunity to gain valued experiences and learn alongside their job. Together with on-the-job training, apprentices will also spend a minimum of 20% of their working hours fulfilling classroom-based learning with a training provider, which is usually a college or university depending on the level of the apprenticeship. An apprenticeship typically includes:
- Hands-on-experiences in a subject of interest
- Paid employment with holiday leave
- A minimum of 20% off-the-job training
- A formal assessment which follows on to a nationally recognised qualification.
Anyone over the age of 16 in England can apply for an apprenticeship, especially those who are early in their career, looking to improve skills within their current job, looking for a career change or not in full-time education.
Is an Apprenticeship Full-Time Education?
As a simple answer, an apprenticeship is classed as full-time education, although your learning will be run by a training provider such as a college in which you will complete off-the-job training once a week or over several days within a short period. Although an apprenticeship is classed as full-time education, it’s important not to confuse this with full-time classroom learning.
Why Choose An Apprenticeship In Marketing & Media?
Digital marketing and media are classed as one of the most vital factors in promoting businesses in the twenty first century. If digital marketing and media didn’t exist, many companies worldwide would struggle to market their services. This is why completing an apprenticeship within the digital marketing and media sector is a great opportunity for many tech-savvy Gen-Z-ers.
The world of digital marketing and media is very broad, but an apprenticeship in this role will help you to understand and develop many skills such as website development, search engine optimisation (SEO) and analytics. Some businesses may even allow you to develop skills in other departments such as account management, which can look very impressive on a CV. By gaining a digital marketing apprenticeship you will be placed right in the heart of the sector which means you can get involved from the beginning. Being able to understand the different elements of digital marketing will allow you to have more options and it will make you more desirable by employers.
You may start your digital marketing apprenticeship thinking that your interest is in management, but you may find that your interest and passion lie within content creation. A digital marketing apprenticeship can expand your path to the many sectors that it involves, so there will always be something for you.
Why Choose Bigwave For Your Apprenticeship?
Here at Bigwave Marketing, we provide innovative and cost-effective marketing, design, and digital services for companies of all sizes with a focus on exceptional results. We offer a range of in-house resources tailored to all marketing needs for effective online and offline campaigns. We have now become the first national and leading creative growth partner for the UK leisure industry. We work with over 200 clients across a diverse range of sectors including manufacturing, culture, food, beverage and many more. As an apprentice, you can expect to try many different jobs within a creative design, website development, account management, consulting and social media and content marketing.
We’ve had many apprentices join us at Bigwave in which they have secured their role with us. We spoke to our current staff members who have completed an apprenticeship with us about their experience being an apprentice as well as their role here at Bigwave Marketing.
We asked Laura, who is now a Web Project Executive why she chose an apprenticeship over other educational paths and how she found her apprenticeship experience at Bigwave so far:
“I chose an apprenticeship over any other educational path as I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to study at university, so I had a gap year and then started looking into my options. When I saw that I could learn in a practical environment whilst gaining a qualification, this seemed to motivate me more than the thought of lectures.
“I’ve found the apprenticeship experience at Bigwave positive. I’ve worked across different departments and have been able to learn new skills which have contributed to developing my knowledge, skills and behaviours which you have to demonstrate throughout the apprenticeship. It’s helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses much better so I know how I can contribute to my team.”- Laura
Danielle, who is now a Business Development and Marketing Support Executive, is also returning to Bigwave for a full-time position now that she has come to the end of her apprenticeship.
“I chose an apprenticeship because it allowed me to learn whilst working. I found that getting into a job allowed me to learn new skills and expand my knowledge. Also, my day-to-day workload really differed, which kept things interesting. My experience at Bigwave has exceeded all of my expectations as I have been given the opportunity to work in different teams and get involved in a range of projects.”- Danielle
We also spoke to Lawrence who worked at Bigwave for over 10 years. Lawrence began his career at Bigwave in our apprenticeship scheme and progressed to a Senior Account Manager, and we asked him the following questions:
How did your apprenticeship at Bigwave prepare you for a career in media?
“The apprenticeship/qualification side of it was very secondary for me – I wasn’t really using the apprenticeship as a way to get a qualification but rather get job experience which eventually led me to be offered a permanent contract with Bigwave.”
How did an apprenticeship benefit your career path?
“I am not the most academic of people! I am not really one for studying so being able to learn on the job was a massive benefit to my learning style (learn by doing). I didn’t know what I wanted to do after I left college, I drifted from temp job to temp job and really needed to find my footing which I did via my apprenticeship at Bigwave. Now 10 years later with the same company, I feel that I am a specialist in marketing.”
What advice would you give to a future apprentice at Bigwave?
“I think the crucial part is hard work, but also don’t specialise on one particular role i.e. don’t invest all your time in eMarketing, try to learn a variety of different tools should you want to take a different path at a later date. Having a broader knowledge will open other avenues later down the road.”
Do You Want To Join The Bigwave Team?
We currently have a new Marketing Assistant apprenticeship role for someone who has a confident and professional telephone manner, is motivated and inquisitive in nature, has basic computer skills and has an interest in marketing channels or techniques.
You will be part of the team who supports our clients and enables us to deliver great results. You will gain experience in sales and marketing with opportunities to explore a range of skills and training across the agency. This role will also focus on growing Bigwave through business development and sales.