Job title: Marketing Manager
Employer: Marylebone Boys’ School
Course studied: Level 3 Marketing Assistant Apprenticeship
My Story:
Joseph began his career as a Marketing Assistant Apprentice at Truro and Penwith College, working for Cornwall Council on their Headstart Kernow project. After three years in the industry, Joseph packed his bags and moved to the big city, securing a role as Senior Marketing Executive in the education sector. Just a year later, he climbed even higher, starting a new role as Marketing Manager at a thriving secondary school in Paddington.
The leap from Marketing Assistant to Manager has been extremely rewarding for Joseph. He shared: “I never saw myself becoming a manager so young, but I always knew it was something I wanted to achieve at some point.”
Although he enjoyed the creativity of his previous roles, becoming a manager brought out a more strategic side of Joseph, which he now fully embraces.
He reflected: “I enjoyed implementing marketing activities, but I’m not as creative as I initially thought. Although the management role requires creativity in terms of having a vision, understanding what you want to achieve, and how you’re going to get the results, I much prefer coordinating teams of people who are specialists in their areas and receiving advice from experts.
“To be a Marketing Manager, you have to start from the bottom. If I didn’t have that baseline knowledge, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I have to understand marketing processes because I need to provide feedback and solutions to problems that may occur during campaigns.”
The ‘baseline knowledge’ that propelled Joseph to his current position was acquired during the Level 3 Marketing Assistant Apprenticeship (now referred to as the Level 3 Multi-Channel Marketer Apprenticeship) at Truro and Penwith College. He noted: “I truly believe that having a positive educational experience, taught by lecturers with industry expertise provided not only the knowledge but also an insight into what the industry is like, preparing me for the world of work. Knowing that I had a recognisable qualification from a well-established institution, as well as becoming CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) accredited, really gained the confidence to achieve my goals.”
Eager to earn money while building a new career, Joseph chose the Apprenticeship route after realising that university wasn’t the best option for him. He explained: “I wanted to work in an environment where I could earn and learn. I wanted to be part of a team to develop my skills practically rather than just through theory-based learning. Although the Apprenticeship includes some theory, I don’t learn very well from just a textbook. I think anyone would get a far better experience from learning on the job, like you do as an apprentice. That was the biggest attraction for me.”
If marketing sounds like a career you would be interested in, why not explore the Apprenticeship route? Earn while you learn, like Joseph did. Find out about the course here or contact the Apprenticeship team on 01872 305500 or apprenticeships@truro-penwith.ac.uk. Alternatively, you can fill out an enquiry form here.