This article was taken off of Brighton SEO. Click here to view the Original.

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In recent months I’ve been talking to the lovely people at DV8 Sussex who are a training provider who’ve been working with apprentices to prepare them for the world of digital marketing. I had no idea about some of the great SEO and Social businesses in the Sussex area who’ve taken on apprentices, so I asked Tara at DV8 if I could ask a few of the employers and apprentices about their experience and maybe persuade a few of you to explore the option of taking on an apprentice.

 

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Adam Lee – Managing Director, No Pork Pies

Why did you choose to take on an apprentice rather than candidate from another background?

The digital marketing sector is a constantly adapting industry and areas such as Social Media are new to everyone not just the apprentice.  No Pork Pies were looking for a junior role, we didn’t feel we needed anyone with specific digital marketing experience but someone that has used Social Media in any form.

As this is pretty much everyone, specifically the younger demographic an apprentice seemed like a good option to develop within the company.

 What was the biggest misconception you had about apprenticeship schemes that turned out to be incorrect?

The skill level of the candidates was the biggest concern of mine. With all candidates not having a degree it was difficult to judge what sort of level the candidate would be at.

I wasn’t too concerned about training someone from the ground up but there are certain skills you learn at University, (such as writing skills, presentation skills and general group work) that I was concerned the apprentice wouldn’t be up to scratch on and would be difficult to teach.

This proved to not be a concern. The apprentice has written around 600 profiles for one of our clients with excellent client feedback and fits fantastically into the team.

What advice would you offer someone who is perhaps unsure about taking on an apprentice?

My experience has shown me there are some really talented young people available who are smart and driven to learn but felt University wasn’t the right road. With increasing University fees there are only going to be more of these candidates available.

Any business large or small need to nurture young talent and help them develop into the next managers. These candidates could be a huge assets to your business.

 

Ryan Hooker – Marketing Apprentice, No Pork Pies

Why did you chose to become an apprentice?

I decided to become an a apprentice because I liked the idea of working for a business and learning on the job instead of going to uni where i would have to wait 3 years or so to finish and having no work experience in the sector I want to work in.

What skills do you think apprentices bring to a company that other potential candidates might lack?

They give a younger perspective on situations with an agency, because we have grown up with social media and technology in our life’s from a young age it is likely to be beneficial to know what we like and what works for us for these agencies.

Apprentices are also happy to get there hands dirty and do anything they can to help out not just the work given to them. The can also give that extra opinion that could help the agency for different clients.

What achievement within your apprenticeship thus far are you most pleased with?

Keeping up to date on my work at DV8 and typing 600+ profiles for a large client.

 

Jay Cooper – Chief Operating Officer, BLOOM Social Business

Why did you choose to take on an apprentice rather than candidate from another background?

There were two reasons why I took on our apprentice, Paul, straight from education.

The first was that we had the chance to take raw talent and create somebody to work in the style that we wanted. Having just completed A levels, we knew that our apprentice would understand that they could learn from us, go and do some research on their own and come back to us with output. All we have to provide is clear guidance and mentoring in producing the output.

The second reason was that here, in Brighton, it seemed crazy that most of the staff we recruited were not from the town. Most people working at BLOOM had either migrated to Brighton to work in our industry or relocated specifically to work for us. We felt that local talent could and should be unlocked.

What was the biggest misconception you had about apprenticeship schemes that turned out to be incorrect?

My fear was that the recruits would be so raw, so new to business that we would have to teach them how to behave in a business environment. I worried that an 18 year old would not understand business and would be disconnected from our objectives. Actually, Paul was bright enough to get what we did, could operate out online tools and get up to speed with basic skills with two weeks.

What advice would you offer someone who is perhaps unsure about taking on an apprentice?

An apprentice wants to use their time to learn and to progress within business. They have made an active choice not to go to University because they believe that vocational skills are their pathway. If you show belief in them, they already have the right attitude to make this work.

 

Paul Gunn, Apprentice Bloom Social Business

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Why did you choose to become an apprentice?

I chose to become an apprentice because I like the idea of being able to hold down a full time position whilst being able to study a course in something that I am interested in. Also at the end of the apprenticeship it is possible that I will be able to turn my position into a full time job.

Being able to improve my skills and learn off other people was a massive draw to the apprenticeship as at the end I should have sufficient skills to be able to do the job fully. It is also a chance to earn my first real wage, which is important as well.

What skills do you think apprentices bring to a company that other potential candidates might lack?

We come into the business with a willing to learn, as opposed to coming into a job where you have to prove your skills. The business knows that we’re raw, but we have skills that can be transferred and applied to the business.

We’ve also grown up with technology, the fact that apprentices are young means that we are digital natives. This means we find it easier to implement use of new technologies in day to day working.

What achievement within your apprenticeship thus far are you most pleased with?

The achievement I am most pleased with is being given the opportunity to test a new social media monitoring tool and learn exactly what it does before doing presenting a master class in how to use the tool to the team.

 

Interested in apprenticeships? Click here for more information.

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