Abi Porter’s Apprenticeship Journey

Bringing structure and strategy to communications work at Somerset Passenger Solutions.

Midway through her Digital Community Manager apprenticeship with JGA, Abi Porter is already putting what she’s learning into practice. Her role spans internal communications, recruitment support and digital content at Somerset Passenger Solutions and already reaches colleagues right across the business.

I’m quite a hands-on learner, so being able to work and learn at the same time suited me much better.

Since joining the business in a part-time social media role, Abi has moved into a broader communications position; one that now covers managing internal communications across a variety of areas, including wellbeing initiatives, organisational updates, safety alerts and crisis communications. She also oversees SPS’s website and social media activity, using these channels to support recruitment, showcase the organisation’s culture and increase external awareness of SPS. This case study captures Abi while she’s still on programme, so it focuses on applied learning on live projects.

Choosing a route that suited her

Abi came close to taking a very different path. After studying Level 3 Fashion Business and Retail at college, she applied to university, was accepted and was ready to start. However, she changed her mind and decided to pursue an apprenticeship instead – a route that felt more practical and better suited to how she learns.

“I was quite back and forth for ages, but in the end the job felt like the right route for me instead of going to uni.”

When Abi joined the business, the role was part-time and focused solely on social media within recruitment. Since then, it has expanded into a broader communications role.

abi porter

She was also the first person in this kind of position at the business, which meant the apprenticeship route wasn’t already mapped out for her — Abi found JGA herself and moved onto the Digital Community Manager apprenticeship as her role developed further.

Learning on live projects

A key part of Abi’s experience so far is that the apprenticeship hasn’t felt separate from her job. Instead, it’s helped her understand the thinking behind the work she’s already doing and given her more confidence in how she plans, delivers and evaluates communications.

She completed the taught content stage with Derek, her tutor, two half-day sessions a month and is now working on her portfolio with Owen, her skills coach, using workplace examples to show how the learning applies in practice.

The course itself covers a broad mix of strategy and practical application: business strategy, resilience and eSafety, brand strategy, communication strategy, marketing strategy, community strategy and data analysis. Within that, learners cover tone of voice, storytelling, neuro-linguistic programming, platform policies, moderation, conflict management, reports, dashboards and engagement measurement, delivered through online half-day seminars, project work, round tables and coaching.

That breadth matters in Abi’s role because her work spans both internal and external communications, recruitment campaigns, audience engagement, community moderation and internal messaging. The apprenticeship is helping her connect day-to-day activity with wider business goals, KPIs and success measures and has sharpened her understanding of how the Digital Community Manager role sits within the business.

I like to know the purpose behind what I’m doing and how it will have an impact. Understanding the bigger picture motivates me, as I can see how one campaign fits within a wider strategy to support business goals or KPIs.

That way of thinking runs through every project Abi talks about: not just creating content, but understanding what it’s for, who it’s for and how success should be measured.

Projects that Abi has led include:

One of the strong examples Abi shared was an engineering recruitment campaign focused on increasing awareness of engineering opportunities within SPS. As these roles required specialist skills, the aim was to showcase what it is like to work as an engineer, rather than simply advertise vacancies.

Abi created a dedicated website page featuring insight into the role, the Vehicle Maintenance Unit, and interviews with members of the engineering team. This supported a wider social media campaign, directing audiences to the webpage for more information.

One social media post alone achieved 26.9K Facebook views, with 545 link clicks and 5 new followers. The dedicated webpage also received 1.6K views, demonstrating the value of using authentic employee stories and targeted content to increase awareness of specialist roles and support recruitment objectives.

Abi also highlighted the launch of Blink, a communications tool introduced to support more effective two-way communication across the business. With many colleagues working as drivers across different locations, internal communication had previously been difficult to manage – Blink created a more direct and interactive way to share updates and receive responses, while also bringing moderation into sharper focus now that colleagues can communicate back.

This project also linked closely to the community strategy and data analysis elements of the course, particularly platform policies, moderation and measuring engagement.

For Blink, we’re mainly looking at engagement — whether people are interacting with posts, responding to events and using the platform in a positive way.

The launch hit a 52% activation rate on day one (16 March 2026), climbing to 87% within five days (20 March 2026), the highest of any division.

Abi also spoke about how the apprenticeship has “sparked ideas for campaigns” and given her “another way to think about it,” especially when looking beyond what’s typical in a niche transport sector. One example was a more playful social post inspired by a wider consumer trend, adapted to fit the business. It didn’t perform especially strongly, but Abi was reflective about why: much of the audience is made up of drivers and their families and trend-led references don’t always land the same way with that audience.

That kind of reflection is part of the learning too, not just trying new ideas, but stepping back and understanding what works for a specific audience.

Somerset Passenger Solutions’ Facebook page currently sits at 1.2K followers, averaging 57.6K views, 140 clicks and 26 new followers per month. Their main priority now is building out the Specialist Passenger Solutions page to support recruitment in Suffolk.

A role that now reaches across the business

Abi’s role now spans much more than social media alone. She supports internal communications for around 600 colleagues in the west operation and under 100 in the east, alongside external activity that supports recruitment and wider awareness as the business grows. She also works within a small marketing team, where one day might involve print design or a billboard and the next a social media campaign.

“That’s one of the things I really like about the role, it’s varied. One day I might be working on internal comms or a campaign and the next I’m doing something completely different.”

Applying digital storytelling to JGA’s Charity of the Year

One of the clearest examples of Abi applying what she was learning beyond her day job came through JGA’s Charity of the Year competition. Abi submitted a video pitch for Somerset Sight — an independent, self-funding local charity supporting more than 3,000 people with sight loss across Somerset and one with deep personal meaning for her family.

“It was six years ago now, my dad lost his sight overnight.”

Abi was in her last year of school at the time and one of the first things she worried about was how her dad would still be able to live independently after suddenly losing both his sight and his ability to work as a taxi driver.

Abi chose video because it’s the format she knows best through her role: “Using video felt like the most natural way to tell the story. It’s the format I use most in my job and it gave me a clear way to explain both the charity’s impact and why it mattered so much to my family.”

In the submission, she interviewed her dad about the support he’d received, explained the impact on her family and spoke to the charity about how fundraising could support its work. Her dad was included in the interview video and also attended JGA’s fundraising event.

“Somerset Sight helped my dad both emotionally and practically. They supported him with counselling, but also with everyday things you suddenly have to relearn when you lose your sight. That support made a huge difference to his independence”.

The application went on to win first place, with an initial £2,500 donation for Somerset Sight. For Abi, the impact was about more than the funding alone, raising awareness mattered just as much.

Raising awareness that people go blind and of the charity itself is huge.

First place: Abi Porter, of Somerset Passenger Solutions Ltd. delivered a compelling pitch for Somerset Sight to become JGA’s Charity of the Year and won.

Why the apprenticeship works for Abi

Abi is clear that the apprenticeship suits people who want to learn by doing rather than studying in isolation. She describes it as informative but manageable, with learning that supports the job rather than sitting separately from it.

It’s not going to create extra work for you. It’s going to support it and you become more confident in your work because you’re gaining the knowledge behind it while also gaining the experience of doing the job.

It’s also made her more confident in written communications, because she now has a clearer understanding of why messages are being communicated and how they fit within the business.

Looking ahead

Although Abi is only midway through the apprenticeship, she’s already thinking about what comes next. “I always want to learn,” she says and she’s keen to get as much exposure as possible to different parts of the business.

I’m really enjoying learning and gaining exposure to different areas of the business. I’ve taken a particular interest in the strategy side of things, as I enjoy understanding the bigger picture, how different areas connect and how we can drive the business forward.

The apprenticeship has helped her think more clearly about which direction she may want to take in communications and marketing over time. Even at this stage, Abi’s story gives a strong picture of what a Digital Community Manager apprenticeship can look like in practice: learning that’s immediately applied, shaped by real business need and flexible enough to support something deeply personal as well.

Emma Warr, Head of Communications at Somerset Passenger Solutions, remarked on the impact of Abi’s apprenticeship:

“Supporting Abi throughout her apprenticeship journey has been a pleasure. As her line manager, I have seen first-hand the commitment, enthusiasm and professionalism she brings to her role at SPS every day.

Abi is a quick learner who embraces every opportunity to develop her skills and expand her knowledge. Through her apprenticeship with JGA, she has consistently demonstrated a willingness to learn, take on feedback and challenge herself to improve. She quickly applies what she has learned in the workplace, adding real value to the Communications team and the wider business.

Over the course of her apprenticeship, I have seen Abi grow in confidence and capability. Her positive attitude, strong work ethic and eagerness to learn have helped her make significant progress, while her ability to adapt and take on new challenges has been particularly impressive.

The combination of hands-on experience at SPS and structured learning through JGA has provided a fantastic foundation for her development and Abi has made the most of every opportunity. I am incredibly proud of everything she has achieved so far and look forward to seeing her continue to grow and succeed in her career”.