My Digital Marketing Apprenticeship Experience
As CLD Team Member Abbi fast approaches the end of her Digital Marketing Apprenticeship, we catch-up with her to discover her journey and how she’s found the experience so far.
“We’ve just heard back from the client about those meta descriptions. They absolutely loved them.”
Twelve months ago, I had no idea what a meta description even was. Now I’m a meta description pro!
How have I got here? Let’s rewind:
How it started
At school, there was never anything I was great at. Some people were naturally gifted and seemed to excel at most of their subjects, but that wasn’t me. Eventually the time came to pick my GCSEs; a pretty big decision. It was the moment I had to start thinking about my future. Sounds dramatic I know …
Media Studies caught my eye. Getting creative, sharing opinions, and gaining an insight into behind the scenes of modern-day media. Yes please. This was just the beginning of my special subject. After loving media at GCSE level and achieving a B grade, I knew I wanted to continue at A-level, and I came out with an A!
Pit-stop: Corona
Covid-19 collided with a lot of things. I came out of school earlier than expected, thrown into the world, not really knowing what to do with myself. Still dramatic, yes. I thought about my passion for media and what I could do that covered the aspects I loved while being able to start from the ground up. An apprenticeship seemed like the ideal opportunity. Gain experience, get paid, do what you love, and learn more about it.
So, I began the search. It was challenging; considering we were in the midst of a pandemic. There either weren’t any going, or they weren’t what I was looking for. Eventually, through the likes of Indeed I discovered something very promising. Rather than just being an IT company in need of their own marketing, this company was a digital marketing agency that worked for a vast array of clients, while also doing their own marketing! I applied.
The interview process started with the apprenticeship company and as each step was passed, the process progressed with CLD - where my journey really began.
Starting at CLD
I got the job!
This is where the work started; getting to know about all the different departments, I started with SEO and social media, working closely with my line manager, mentor, and account manager. I asked questions all the time and still do now – you’ll never learn if you don’t ask.
I’ve had lots of support and training from CLD and the apprenticeship training company. I have set sessions with a trainer and other digital marketing apprentices throughout my time as an apprentice, focusing on specific learning and preparing for exams.
How it’s going
I’m now at the point where I have a good foundation of knowledge and can independently apply what I’ve learnt to ideas and actions. At CLD I work towards achieving long and short-term KPIs and hope to eventually pick a specific focus area that I can progress in when my apprenticeship is finished.
I am tasked with many different duties for each client so I continually learn as I go. Digital marketing is ever changing. This impacts our work as the tools, channels and audiences are frequently changing so we have to be flexible in the way we do things. I am always learning on the job to adapt to any changes, and work with what we’ve got to fix things and get our clients the best possible outcomes.
Where I hope to be
This apprenticeship is just the start of my journey.
My short-term goal is to continue working toward passing my exams and achieving my apprenticeship. Exams aren’t my strong point, but for something I am passionate about, I will be doing my best to ensure I pass. By the end of my apprenticeship, I would love to continue with CLD to further hone my skillset and eventually perhaps focus on a specific subject area. I know I love the social media side of things, but I’m leaving the door open to explore other marketing fields and topics before making any decisions. I’ve got a long time to go and I’m ready and excited to keep learning.
A big thank you to Abbi for sharing her journey so far and it’s been such a privilege to watch her grow and develop her skillset. We feel sure that Abbi is on the road to becoming a superstar Digital Marketeer and we look forward to seeing what she does next.
If you’re interested in earning while learning, then an apprenticeship is a fantastic pathway into your chosen career. Visit the apprenticeships.gov.uk website for a wealth of free help and information on how to get started.