Is an apprenticeship the right choice for your business?
For employers looking to inject digital marketing skills into their business, it can be difficult to know where to start.
Digital marketing is a complex field with many areas of expertise. Will corporate training actually deliver you real-world benefits given its frequent high cost and short-term timeframe? Or would an apprenticeship offer a more attractive, practical and cost-effective alternative?
On this page, we debunk some of the myths around modern apprenticeships and how businesses are embracing them to successfully attract, train, retain and progress talent in their business, all with the potential of a gov subsidy covering most of the costs.
Typically, Working Knowledge apprentices are aged 23 and more than 40% are educated to degree level.
What exactly is a digital marketing apprenticeship?
In 2016, apprenticeships were reviewed and found not to be fit for purpose. They weren’t providing the value the public purse was paying for since they weren’t giving employers a workforce with the skills they needed.
Industry panels were brought in to rewrite and simplify specifications for each Apprenticeship. This gave huge flexibility and responsibility to the training provider to tailor the course to each individual business – whether that be Digital Marketing, or Leadership and Management or any other of the 600+ apprenticeships now available.
The Standards are regularly reviewed, and employer feedback now plays a large role in any revisions.
Read more here.
Take your business to the next level
Existing employee or new recruit. Recent graduate, 46-year-old senior manager or 34-year-old return-to-work parent. All can get high-quality training to Masters’ Degree level paid via Modern apprenticeships.
Few SME business owners are taking advantage of this cost-effective route to attract, train, retain and progress talent in their business to fuel growth.
There are 600+ Apprenticeship Standards to choose from.
Working Knowledge has specialised in delivering Digital Marketing apprenticeships since 2018.
How do you choose the right apprenticeship training provider?
Not all apprenticeship training providers are the same.
It’s important you select an apprenticeship training provider that meets your needs.
You should consider the quality of the trainers, the elements of the curriculum, the amount of contact time with peers and trainers, support with any red-tape, leadership support provided if things go awry, active recruitment campaigns to find your talent, etc.
At worst, an apprenticeship could be a significant HR and management burden.
At best, it can positively transform your business through the input of highly experienced marketing professionals following a proven process whilst developing the skills of an ambitious, curious and dedicated talent.
High-performing providers like Working Knowledge only employ practising professionals with decades of experience to deliver the programme.
Ours is a unique and well thought through curriculum more akin to commercial professional development training. Importantly, it also includes frequent opportunities to interact with real people as experts and peers to drive successful outcomes, and a thorough recruitment service more akin to head-hunting.
You can find out more about our enhanced training package here.
Ready to meet some of our apprentices?
Recruit your digital marketing apprentice with confidence
If you’re ready to explore whether a digital marketing apprenticeship is the right step forward for your business, follow these three simple steps.
Step 1: Schedule Your Call
Discover how our unique apprenticeship scheme can propel your business forward.
Step 2: Recruit Your Dream Hire
Trust us, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Our talent hunters will advertise, screen and assess your candidates, and then present the top 3-4 to you in a facilitated half-day assessment centre. The process is super-efficient with your time while giving you the peace of mind you’ll have the highest calibre candidates put forward to find the best cultural fit.
Step 3: Boost Your Business Growth
Watch your apprentice thrive and your marketing capabilities improve so your business can flourish, with expert support and clear, measurable results that bring your goals within reach.
DISCOVER WHAT YOUR APPRENTICE WILL LEARN
Explore our extensive digital marketing curriculum and expert support package for you and your apprentice.
Find out what makes our programme the gold standard of apprenticeship training and how the 2023 & 2022 winners of the BCS National Digital Marketing Apprentice Of The Year came through the unique Working Knowledge programme.
SUPPORT FOR BUSINESS OWNERS AND MANAGERS
One of the reasons Working Knowledge apprentices are such high achievers is because of the additional support we provide for managers and business owners too.
Find out how we support managers to lead their Digital Marketing, even if they have no prior marketing experience, to maximise positive results for you.
7 Steps To Hiring The Perfect Apprentice
Hiring a junior marketer can seem like a daunting task, especially when you're unsure of what to look for. That's why we've crafted a comprehensive FREE guide just for you. '7 Steps To Hiring The Perfect Apprentice' is your roadmap to navigating the hiring process with ease and confidence. This guide is packed with proven strategies and insider tips to help you pinpoint talent, assess skills, and make an informed decision. Don't gamble with your next hire - download your free guide today and secure the perfect junior marketer for your team.
Why Businesses Choose To Partner With Working Knowledge
"One of my fears was that we're a busy small team, and I'm not an expert in marketing - so I was worried about how I'd manage and develop someone, how I'd keep them busy.
But with Working Knowledge, they have a coach and specialist trainers who provide that learning and development support as experts."
Nick Pearce, CEO, Alexander Daniels Global
"We didn’t have time to go through the rigamarole of recruiting a junior marketer.
Thankfully, Working Knowledge took care of the whole process – at the facilitated assessment day and we were blown away by the calibre of the candidates we had to interview.”
Jennie Leighton, Marketing Manager, STORY22
"We were looking for somebody that was “startup ready”, which means they have a level of resilience.
It's really important for founders and leadership teams to have that type of person join the organisation and Aimee has definitely been able to run with the good times and the more challenging times and deal with it in a calm fashion. That's perfect start-up material."
Seamus Whittingham, Chief Revenue Officer, Ai Build
Frequently asked questions about apprenticeships
PAYE employees aged 16 and above. Yes, there is no upper age-limit – our oldest is 53y. Also, you can do an apprenticeship even if you have a degree. The rule is you can be an apprentice in anything provided you haven’t previously done a qualification in the same subject at a level above what you’re going to study in the apprenticeship.
Want to know more about modern apprenticeships? Read our blog here.
Apprenticeships aren’t what they used to be
The common perception that apprenticeships are only for school-leavers with less academic ability has been consigned to history.
Now, thousands of businesses are benefitting from government-funded professional training to upskill existing employees or attract, develop and retain new talent.
Schedule a call today to uncover how you could build or grow your digital marketing team with expert support from Working Knowledge, and help from government funding.