If you are looking to increase your credibility as a marketing professional and move closer to your career goals (without giving up your existing job), starting a digital apprenticeship might be the right choice for you. 

We recently caught up with digital apprentice, Rosie Murgatroyd about how the Level 4 Marketing Executive apprenticeship is helping her build on her existing skills and knowledge in marketing. Rosie is the Marketing & International Sales Executive at Woolcool, the pioneers in eco-friendly thermal packaging solutions.

Here's what Rosie said...

When I began looking for jobs, Woolcool was still growing as a business and didn’t have a marketing department. I initially applied for a sales role with the promise that when a marketing department was created, I would be considered for the team. Nearly 6 years later, I’m actually still in a sales role, but I also form part of the marketing team too! 

“The knowledge and confidence Rosie has gained so far is already starting to show in the marketing strategy, level of work, and our creative content… even after only two months!” - Josie Morris MBE, Managing Director at Woolcool. 

Throughout my time here, I’ve had the opportunity to experience nearly every role within the company! From answering sales enquiries and becoming the post-Brexit export guru, to running trials for our R&D Team and picking and packing last-minute orders on a Friday afternoon. Even dressing as a gingerbread man to support the local charity, I’ve given it all a go. 

But, what I really wanted to do was Marketing. 

Why did you choose an apprenticeship to progress your career?

Unlike most apprentices, I was not new to my role.  

I joined Woolcool in 2015 as a 20-year-old post-graduate. Even though I knew the business inside-out and had some marketing knowledge from my Business Management degree, I didn’t really feel that I had the experience or real credibility to be able to step up and take full ownership of our marketing activities. 

During this time, I looked after our social media and attended monthly marketing meetings with our external creative team, but I was looking for ways that I could cement myself as ‘the marketing person’ at Woolcool. 

I began the Level 4 Marketing Executive apprenticeship with Apprentify after dedicating more than five years to my current marketing role, and the rest is history... 

What have you learned in your digital apprenticeship so far?

Like anything, beginning with the basics is key. 

In my apprenticeship, I am learning new skills and behaviours that will help in becoming a credible Marketing Manager.

We’ve spent a lot of time brushing up on Marketing principles; the 4Ps, targeting and segmentation, as well as analysing the success of our marketing campaigns. Learning this has allowed me to begin thinking more about the customers – who are they? what are their needs? what should our marketing be saying to them? During my digital apprenticeship, I’ve learned a lot around product development and creating a marketing plan which is driven by the business’s objectives. 

What I enjoyed about my Development Coach, Rebecca, is that she is always on hand to offer advice when needed, but tailors the advice in a way that allows me to think for myself and manage my approach independently. 

Is an apprenticeship what you expected?

No, but… I don’t really know exactly what I expected! My last experience of learning was at degree level, and a while ago now. 

I’ve found Apprentify's learning style of the apprenticeship to be very different to anything I’ve done before. At first, I found myself second guessing my work a lot; am I thinking in the right way? Is the quality of my work to the correct standard?  

Apprenticeship learning is a lot more focussed, which is great because it means that I get to apply what I’m learning to my existing job role, as soon as I learn it! It’s not filed away in my brain just waiting for that non-existent job that I might have one day in the future. 

For me, remembering loads of information for an exam is nowhere near as memorable years down the line as being able to learn from your mistakes, or more importantly, from celebrating your own successes! 

Would you recommend a digital apprenticeship to other marketers?

If you need that push to really get stuck into some of the projects that you've been meaning to start but could never quite dedicate enough time to, the apprenticeship route may be the right path for you.  

This digital apprenticeship with Apprentify has allowed me to take ownership of planning projects that were put on the back-burner and use my fresh knowledge and new way of thinking to solve problems that seemed unsolvable until now. 

After completing my degree, I was worried that an apprenticeship would be a step down from what I was trying to achieve; it’s actually turned out to be quite the opposite so far! 

I finally feel like I am gaining the credibility I’ve dedicated so many years to the business working towards by growing and applying my knowledge, as well as improving my skills and behaviours. 

What’s more, if you become an apprentice within your existing role, you’re guaranteed a job at the end of your apprenticeship! 

Do you think that becoming a Marketing Executive Apprentice whilst staying in your current role could be the best next step for you too? Check out Apprentify’s Level 4 Marketing Executive Apprenticeship.