Apprenticeship Journey: My Perspective
by Michelle Kinsey, Marketing Apprentice
Where it began…
My journey has been one full of twists and turns. I have been a cake maker, hairdresser, accounts assistant, and the list goes on. But it wasn’t until I started my own Photo Booth business that I found my real passion: marketing! I was offered a position with the Trafford & Stockport marketing team and have never looked back. I pitched the idea of an apprenticeship as a way of upskilling to my employer, who thought this was a great idea. After some research, I decided the JGA Level 4 Marketing Apprenticeship sounded great. It offered me a mix of virtual classroom learning and the opportunity to put new knowledge into action.
How it started
I remember being so nervous in the run-up to that first seminar and I was a wreck the whole
way through! Then our tutor, Dan, said something that struck a chord: “You won’t be the
same person at the end of this journey” and I thought, I’m going to take every opportunity to
make that true. I need to own this and get out of my comfort zone to make the growth
happen.
Slowly but surely, my confidence grew. I began to actually like presenting in class! I threw
myself into the assignments and began developing new skills and expanding my knowledge
How it’s going
Throughout my Level 4 Marketing Apprenticeship, I have learnt how to use frameworks such as 7P’s, SWOT and
Porters Five Forces to strengthen campaigns, content and copy. I now have the confidence to put my ideas forward and as a result, I lead on social media strategy. Studying an apprenticeship allows me to bring the
frameworks to life in a real setting. I learn best when I jump in and have a go!
I have developed skills and knowledge in tailoring content and messaging that really resonate with the target
audience.
I have had challenging times when I let those intrusive thoughts in that said “you can’t do this” but I quickly
pushed them aside and carried on growing and learning.
My advice to you
If you are beginning your apprenticeship journey, my advice to you would be to be kind to yourself.
Give yourself room to grow, ask questions, offer solutions and put your ideas out there. It’ll help
your confidence when you hear all the great feedback you receive!
Reflect regularly throughout your journey. You can use Kolb’s Learning Cycle for this, which is a
continuous cycle designed to emphasise learning through experience, reflection, conceptualisation,
and testing new ideas. This method will help you to see how far you have come and how you can
continue to improve.
Don’t cut corners on your assignments – these enable you to expand your knowledge, so make sure
you put 110% effort in. It will all be worth it when you get to the end-point assessment!
You are going to learn so much from this day on. But remember, growth doesn’t happen inside of
your comfort zone, so you have to put yourself out there and challenge yourself.
Your tutor and skills coach are there to help, so go to them if you are unsure about anything.
Looking ahead
Now that I’ve completed my apprenticeship, I’m excited to keep building my career in marketing.
I’ve gained confidence, skills, and a clearer sense of direction. I’m proud of how far I’ve come and
I’m just getting started
Final thoughts
Apprenticeships have the power to change lives, regardless of age or financial status. This could be
the perfect route to a higher level qualification whilst earning a salary and having the opportunity to
put your new knowledge into action in the work place.
The team at JGA have provided me with so much support with work projects, assignments, and
much more. You will have access to all this, so make good use of it!
and remember…
Marketing is always evolving, and so are we. An apprenticeship is just the beginning of a lifelong creative journey!
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