Q&A with an Apprentice at a Digital Marketing and Web Design Agency 

The 7th February marked the beginning of National Apprenticeship Week, at Fishtank Agency we have our very own Digital Marketing Apprentice, Katie! 

We’ve asked our apprentice some juicy questions to find out more about her apprenticeship, how it works and what it’s like to work in an agency. 

1. Why did you decide to apply for an apprenticeship?

My journey to an apprenticeship wasn’t the usual story. I was in the same boat as many young people are when finishing A-Levels and I was stuck between the choice of doing an apprenticeship or going to uni – as a natural academic, I took the path to university and went off to the University of Leeds from my hometown of Wem, Shropshire to study music (I’ve always been a creative person). 

After university, I completed an internship where I dabbled in marketing, it was from that point that I wanted to learn everything I could about digital marketing and started looking for apprenticeships around Yorkshire! 

2. Is it anything like the TV show ‘The Apprentice’? 

No, it’s definitely much better than that! I doubt our Head of Creative Joe Savery would ever allow one of our designers to create a logo this bad 🙈

Click here, to check out some of the amazing web design and branding by our talented team here at Fishtank.

3. What do you need to do to apply for an apprenticeship?

Before applying for an apprenticeship, it’s a good idea to make a skills matrix to discover where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Most employers ask for fundamental skill sets such as fantastic communication skills, time management and organisational skills, and having Maths and English GCSEs. But for a digital marketing apprenticeship, I have a few skills and courses in mind to get you started.

To have a strong chance of getting an apprenticeship I would advise working on the following skills and qualifications:

• Have a good understanding and skillset in using Microsoft Office tools such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint
• Take a go at the courses available on Google Skillshop and Google Digital Garage – the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing course is a great one to start you off
• Use BBC Bitesize to get an understanding of statistics, Google Analytics will be your best friend so it’s good to get a basic understanding of data and how stats and trends work
• Work on your creative skills and practice using your own social media – apps such as Canva are great a way to start editing images and designing creative visuals (something you’ll be doing a lot with social media management).

4. What happens at the end of your apprenticeship?

At the end of your apprenticeship, you’ll have to finish your portfolio, create a synoptic project, take part in a final interview and pass your End Point Assessment (EPA) – be sure to check with the apprenticeship teaching college you apply with to find out more about what you’ll need to do in order to pass with flying colours!

Most apprenticeships end with a permanent contract offer as you’ll have been fully trained and ready to start the position you’ve been training to do at your workplace.

5. What’s it like working in an agency?

An agency is a fantastic workplace for someone who likes a fast-paced environment! It’s constantly changing and evolving (like the digital world) which is exciting even if a bit demanding and you’ll get experience with all sorts of industries. 

You could be setting up SEO campaigns for a chemical engineering company in the morning and then designing visuals for a social media post for a designer clothing company in the afternoon. There’s never a dull moment!

6. What does a day in the life of an apprentice at Fishtank Agency look like?

It really depends on a lot of different factors. Here at Fishtank, we like to utilise the new hybrid working system the pandemic brought on. It allows us to work in the office and collaborate as a team but also get the perks of working from home. 

Working as an apprentice at Fishtank you get stuck into projects from the very beginning. You get to work with all of the departments of the company (web developers, graphic designers, accounts, digital) and aid in the delivery of some fantastic projects – keep your eyes on our blog, we have some exciting new projects going live this month!

Every day is different but the main things to expect daily working as a digital marketer are social media account management, SEO maintenance and helping the team with various projects either over Microsoft Teams or in the office. 

7. What’s your favourite part about being an apprentice?

I love the team here at Fishtank – they are a great bunch, everyone makes you feel so welcome and combined they have a vast amount of experience and industry expertise to learn from and grow.

8. What’s the worst part of your apprenticeship?

The exams!

9. Do you feel like you’ve learnt a lot being an apprentice?

Definitely! Although I learnt a lot at university it doesn’t compare to my experience of working as an apprentice, every day you learn something new, each experience teaches you something you can carry into your work and it sets you up for the career you want to pursue. 

10. Would you recommend an apprenticeship to someone debating the choice between an apprenticeship Vs University?

Take the time to reflect on what you want – you can always go to university at a later date and part-time courses can be fully flexible with your contracted work hours. 

An apprenticeship is a fantastic opportunity for any young person to learn new skills in their chosen industry. I’d highly recommend you research apprenticeship companies (I am currently enrolled with Estio Training) and reach out to employers and other apprentices to hear about their experiences and recommendations so you can make the decision about whether an apprenticeship is right for you.