Hermione Neale is a Multi-Channel Marketer Apprentice at Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) through Oxford Professional Education (OxPE). Read on as Hermione shares her experiences with her apprenticeship and the positive impact it has had on her career at Finishes and Interiors Sector.
What was your background before starting your apprenticeship?
Before starting this apprenticeship, I studied two years of Business and a year of Art & Design at college. During this time, I was also working part time, three days a week at McDonald’s. I enjoyed the college experience and applied myself to my studies and achieved a DDM overall for Business which supported me when applying for apprenticeships.
Why did you decide to sign up to the apprenticeship?
I had applied to university in the earlier months of 2024, however I was always hesitant that this was the correct route for me, as I much prefer hands on learning. I decided to trust my gut and apply for all the marketing apprenticeships within my vicinity, however there were only a handful. I really wanted to step into a workplace rather than continuing my learning in a classroom for three years, as I felt experience would benefit me more than only education for the next three years.
How are you finding the apprenticeship?
I am thoroughly enjoying my apprenticeship, and I have been given a warm welcome by the FIS team, which has only made my experience more comfortable. I am enjoying the content I am learning from both Oxford Professional Education and FIS. OxPE teach me the theory that I can then apply to my day-to-day FIS work. This apprenticeship suits me perfectly.
How does the apprenticeship support your daily work?
I have regular meetings with my line manager to track my progress and inform me of my targets and what projects I will be learning about and taking part in. My line manager is always available to assist me and always encourages me to come back and ask questions when I do not understand something. OxPE teach me valuable theories and lessons which have a positive impact on my daily work and encourages me to apply the theory I have learnt.
Tell us about the company and what your job role involves?
The Finishes and Interiors Sector are a trade association who support our members by improving safety, minimising risk, drive innovation and enhance productivity within the construction industry. I am a part of the marketing team, which is currently made up of three employees, including myself. I assist both of my managers in the day-to-day running’s of our marketing activities. I handle the LinkedIn posts and publishing the articles for our magazine, SpecFinish. I converse with entrants/attendees of our events and also create the images for social media posts using Canva.
How does Oxford Professional Education support you in your apprenticeship?
Oxford Professional Education support me by ensuring I have access to assistance from trainers in order to help me complete my work. I also have two Zoom calls a month that educate me with new marketing lessons along with workbooks to complete to reinforce my learning. I also have calls that review my progress and give me new targets to aim to achieve.
Would you recommend this apprenticeship to others?
I would definitely recommend this apprenticeship to others as I believe it provides excellent learning opportunities that not only provide further education of marketing, but it also teaches you how to perform in a professional environment. I think entering a workplace with the expectation that you are there to learn, places a lower amount of pressure on a new employee and allows them to put their learning first whilst still gaining professional experience. Therefore this is an ideal situation in which to enter a professional workplace.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting an apprenticeship?
I would tell them to push forward in order to obtain an apprenticeship, as they are sometimes hard to acquire, however it pays off due to the learning and life opportunities provided as well as them being able to earn money. I would also like to advise to not give up or be discouraged if you receive little to no response from companies as I had no responses until FIS contacted me. FIS were the first company that I interviewed with, and I was successful, which shows everyone should persevere.
Oxford Professional Education offer a range of marketing, project management, and procurement apprenticeships. If you are interested in completing an apprenticeship or would like to hire an apprentice for your company, get in touch with our team to find out more.