This week is National Apprenticeship Week, and to celebrate it we wanted to give you an insider’s scoop on what it’s like to be a Digital Marketing Apprentice. Eleanor Gibson works with Travel Trade Consultancy (TTC) and has been employed as Marketing Assistant since May 2021.
Life before Travel Trade Consultancy
“When I finished my degree in in Tourism Management, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the travel industry. But specifically, I was passionate about marketing. Straight out of university, I joined a travel agency as a USA specialist selling holidays to people based in the US. I then moved on to a role in customer support at ABTA (The Travel Association) a well-known name in the industry. Unfortunately, like many others, I was made redundant due to the pandemic. So, it was back to the drawing board where I was looking for a role in marketing within the travel industry.”
Finding a marketing role in the travel industry
“In April 2021, I found the TTC LinkedIn page advertising for a Digital Ma
rketing Apprentice. With little experience, I was excited at the prospect of being able to learn marketing whilst also gaining the work experience. Although I hadn’t been looking for an apprenticeship I thought I was suited to the role and it would take my career in the right direction. The company culture was exactly what I was looking for, and shortly after an application and an interview process I was delighted to get the job.”
The apprenticeship
“My apprenticeship with Avado is 18 months long, comprising a mixture of lessons and project work. So far, I’ve completed a beginner and advanced level Google Analytics course, a BCS Level 3 Award in Principles of Coding and Google’s Digital Garage. I’m now halfway through my Google Squared training which takes up five months of the apprenticeship and includes four individual projects to put our new knowledge into practice.”
Why an apprenticeship was the right move
“The different areas of the course have enabled me to broaden my knowledge and bring new ideas to the marketing team at TTC. I’ve also found that my role and course complement each other, making it easy to put my learning into practice. Thanks to the Google Analytics training, I’ve been able to monitor important stats, analyse marketing data, draw insights and make data-driven decisions. Google Digital Garage has helped me to understand the importance of different aspects of digital marketing, including customer-centric marketing.
The learning and project work are completed during work hours, so it’s great to have a flexible team to balance this time in with my job’s day-to-day tasks.”
Eleanor’s top tips for anyone about doing an apprenticeship:
- Don’t be afraid to start learning. It’s never too late to develop your knowledge!
- Make good use of your time and stay on top of apprenticeship projects and modules while doing your day job.
- Ask questions if something doesn’t make sense or if you need more information.
- Take a look at the different apprenticeship options at Avado and make sure you find the right one to suit you.
“Taking the apprenticeship and job at TTC was the right move for me to begin my career in marketing and continue to stay in the travel industry. I would recommend an apprenticeship to anybody considering going through one.”
