Working at Essex whilst doing an apprenticeship

I’m currently working in Estates and Campus Services, where I assist and lead on the marketing for multiple departments including Essex Food, Event Essex, Essex Sport, Accommodation Essex and Wivenhoe House Hotel. Due to the range of different teams I work with, my day to day can vary a lot, but I’m usually helping set up different social media marketing campaigns. These can range from big campaigns like welcome week to smaller campaigns and general promotion. I’ve also been helping out with things like website management, google analytics, on campus events and a range of other tasks that have helped me expand my digital marketing knowledge and skill set.

This has been really helpful for the level 3 course, Principles of Online and Offline Marketing, that I’m doing with Colchester Institute alongside my work at Essex. I am currently near the end of my course – I’ve just passed one of my exams and am going onto the last couple of projects. I should complete the course around February time.

I wanted to do an apprenticeship as I feel I learn better on the job. I prefer learning and doing things in a real working environment instead of being in a classroom. Apprenticeships allow you to get that real life experience, plus certification in that field, and my apprenticeship has been super useful in helping me build up the skills to progress into the digital marketing industry. I have learnt a range of different programs that are commonplace in the industry, such as social media insights, website management, Google Analytics and a range of other skills that can be used in a digital marketing career. I have also learned a lot of social skills and how to work in a team. Coming into this course I hadn't had much experience working in a business, but I have been able to grow my social and networking skills and now really understand how to effectively work with other people in a business environment.

However, I think the most rewarding part of this apprenticeship has been the connections I have made through this job. I was greeted openly by people at the University and I quickly started building positive connections with the rest of the ECS Marketing team, as well as a range of other people who work for different parts of the University, from Event Essex to Wivenhoe House Hotel. I was able to really develop my understanding of these businesses and build positive connections with the people in them.

If you’re thinking of looking into, or applying for, an apprenticeship, my best advice would be to do your research before applying. You really need to find out if it is the best apprenticeship for you – working as an apprentice can be really fun and it allows you to learn a lot of new skills practically, but it can also be stressful. The University of Essex is very fast paced, but if you are the kind of person who wants to learn practically and likes a challenge the University is the perfect place to do an apprenticeship.

You can find out more about Employee apprenticeships at Essex on our Staff Directory.