Alex Swain is currently completing his Marketing Manager Apprenticeship with Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation through Oxford Professional Education. We chatted with Alex to hear about how he’s finding his apprenticeship and what he’s learnt…
What was your background before starting your apprenticeship?
Before starting the apprenticeship, I’d worked at my current employer for about five years in a variety of roles, including junior marketing roles for the last three years of that period. I didn’t go to university after completing sixth form, moving straight into a year-long internship in the arts education sector, so the opportunity to get some higher-level education (at no cost to me!) was a very exciting one.
Why did you decide to sign up to the Marketing Manager Apprenticeship?
I was offered the opportunity to find an apprenticeship, relevant to my work, to undertake and found this Marketing Manager programme with Oxford Professional Education Group. This seemed like a really comprehensive course that would help me progress in my career, developing the key skills needed to lead plans, not just follow through the plans of others.
How did the apprenticeship support your daily work?
I’ve been more organised since taking on the apprenticeship. Firstly, spending 20% of your working life studying, forces you to do the other 80% more efficiently, but crucially the apprenticeship has given me tools and frameworks to think more effectively about what I’m doing and how I’m doing it.
How are you finding your apprenticeship?
I’m really enjoying the apprenticeship. I’ve learnt loads and have been able to start applying this in my work. It’s been interesting to hear from other students on the course, working in completely different fields to mine, about how they market to their customers. I’m now going through my final assessments at the end of the apprenticeship which has been a little stressful (exams, eh?) but I’ve felt so well supported through the process by my teacher and the wider team at the college. I’m feeling positive that I’ll complete the apprenticeship with a good grade which will be invaluable going forward.
Tell us about the company and what your job role involves?
Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation is a national cultural education charity, transforming lives through the unique power of Shakespeare. Through our Film Festival, standalone workshops and flagship Theatre Festival, we give young people vital opportunities to perform and explore Shakespeare’s worlds, developing confidence and essential life skills in the process. I am Senior Marketing and Development Officer at the charity. As the job title suggests, my job is to support the marketing of our programmes to schools and our fundraising drives to individual donors.
How does Oxford Professional Education support you in your apprenticeship?
My tutor on the course has been great. It’s been particularly interesting to hear her professional experiences through the course, gaining an understanding of how marketing theory links to real world practice. Through the learning phase of the course, I’ve also had quarterly check-ins with the team at Oxford Professional Education Group, which have helped to keep me on track.
Would you recommend this apprenticeship to others?
I would absolutely recommend this apprenticeship to anyone considering it. Going through the end point assessment as I complete the course has been a real eye-opener; I’ve been surprised at quite how much I’ve learnt. Over the last two years, I’ve gone from a tactical, short-term thinker, to someone capable of building a complex, strategic business plan, supported by marketing fundamentals and rock-solid theory. This learning will be hugely valuable to me as I go forward in my career. I’d highly recommend the course to anyone considering an apprenticeship for themselves.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting an apprenticeship?
Go for it. It’s rare that you get offered something substantial completely free, but an apprenticeship is just that. I’ve already been offered more responsibility at work and consulted for my opinion more, having done the course, and I’m feeling really optimistic that having this experience under my belt will prove invaluable going forward. You have to be prepared to work hard, and sometimes switching between working and studying can be tricky, particularly at busy times of the year for your business, but it’s totally worth it. Get organised and – if you’re offered the chance – get on a course.
Oxford Professional Education is a main provider of apprenticeships and we help a range of organisations to find suitable apprentices. If you are interested in undertaking an apprenticeship with us in marketing, project management or procurement, get in touch with our team to find out more about.