Organisations we work with

















What is an Apprenticeship?
Apprenticeships are a way to develop and upskill an organisation’s workforce.
Each apprenticeship is based on a Standard, which has been designed to reflect the changing needs of employers. The apprentice works in a real job, and spends 20% of their time learning the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the Standard. This means as an employer, you are committing to giving your apprentice 20% of their working week to training. That is the equivalent of 1 day a week for a full-time apprentice.
Available Apprenticeships
There are 600 apprenticeship standards so far approved for delivery by The Institute of Apprenticeships & Technical Education.
Each standard is created by an Employer Trailblazer group and sets out the required:
- knowledge, skills and behaviours
- the length of time
- the amount of funding available
- the end assessment
The College is currently offering the following apprenticeships:
- Marketing Assistant (Level 3)
- Marketing Executive (Level 4)
- Marketing Manager (Level 6)
- PR and Communications Assistant (Level 4)
- Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (Level 4)
- Junior Content Producer (Level 3)
- Digital Marketer (Level 3)
Incentive payments to employers
FAQs
Aren't Apprenticeships just for young people?
No. Apprenticeships are about upskilling and supporting your existing workforce, as well as for new starters. An organisation can put any staff member through an apprenticeship, provided they require significant new learning for their role. Our apprentices range in age from 16 - 48 years.
What are the benefits of apprenticeships?
As an employer, you will experience tangible improvements to your business and workforce because apprentices learn the right skills and gain experience for the role your organisation needs. Apprentices are more likely to remain with the employer who invests in them, helping your employee retention rates. In addition apprenticeships will address skills gaps in the job market, creating real benefits for the wider economy.
What areas are covered in Apprenticeships?
Each apprenticeship covers: core units focused on the fundamental role responsibilities; specific elective units that allow businesses to tailor apprenticeships to focus on key industry and business challenges; and an end-point assessment, carried out by an independent End Point Assessor.
Details of the assessment are in the Apprenticeship Standards.
What is the Levy and what are the costs?
The Apprenticeship Levy is paid by large companies (i.e. with a pay bill of over £3 million a year). The levy is 0.5% of their annual payroll. Levy funds remain in a large company’s National Apprenticeship Service Account for a maximum of 24 months. After that time, the money can be taken away by the government, so use it or lose it!
For smaller companies, there is what is called "co-investment" which means the organisation pays 5% of the training costs (invoiced upfront) and the government funds the rest.
What happens if I don’t spend all of my apprenticeship Levy funds?
The funds are available on a 24 month rolling basis — if you don’t spend it, you lose it after that time period.
This does not apply to non-levy paying organisations.
As an employer, what are my responsibilities to an apprentice?
Employers need to commit to the apprentice having 20% of their time for off the job training. The training provider has a legal obligation to ensure this time is given in the working week. This doesn’t mean they have to be away from the workplace or in a classroom but can be done flexibly to suit the apprentice and employer. This might can come in the form of:
- Formal training with a training provider
- Independent study during work time
- Coaching or mentoring
- Networking events
- Online discussions/forums
- Attending meetings
- One-to-one work with a specialist
What employers say
Two of my Sales & Marketing Team are part way through their Marketing Apprenticeship. This is the first time we have participated in Marketing apprenticeships and are delighted with the results so far, the ability to relate learning to real business problems immediately and practically is excellent and a real benefit to our business. I have no doubt the two staff involved will be even better assets to our business by virtue of their participation and engagement in these apprentices.
Apprentices are a real asset to our project and company. Providing excellent support to our teams, culturally challenging our industry with new ways of thinking, and determining the future of our Rail industry. Our Apprentices are full of enthusiasm, eager to learn and are building a passion for Rail. The apprenticeship programme has provided our company with new training, development plans and support to our managers to plug skills gaps and ensure we are developing Apprentices to lead the railway of the future.
In a short space of time, our L6 marketing apprentice is having a positive impact on the business, applying their new knowledge and skills to challenge our approach. I'm excited to see the changes they will bring to our strategic plans for Mesma.
As a fostering agency, young people are at the heart of everything we do which is why we looked into offering apprenticeship schemes. Here at Futures Group, we know how rewarding apprenticeships can be and how important they are to the community, opening doors to young people in all different industries.
We have been supporting apprenticeship schemes for years and recently have been joined by a new apprentice within the Marketing Department. It's been wonderful to have a member of the team who is enthusiastic to learn and brings new perspectives to the business.
Zoe has already achieved so much and I have no doubt she will go far in her marketing career.
Providing the opportunity to bring a marketing apprentice into the team has been such a positive experience. Watching our apprentice grow and develop has been so rewarding and I look forward to seeing what they do next.
Here at Strand PR, we have a passion for nurturing young talent and having seen the disruption the pandemic has caused young people, we were delighted to bring on our first ever apprentice, Jasmine, last year in collaboration with Cambridge Marketing College. By being able to earn a wage while gaining real-world experience within a vibrant office, Jasmine has been able to immerse herself in the industry and positively contribute to life at Strand PR.
Register your interest!
To register your interest, or if you have any questions about the marketing apprenticeships, contact Charlotte Lestienne on:
Approved provider
The College is approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and is listed on the Register of Training Apprentice Providers (RoATP). It is also a member of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) and an End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) for the PR & Communications Assistant apprenticeship. All our policies (including Prevent Strategy, Health and Safety, Complaints procedure, Equality & Diversity and Safeguarding) are available on request by contacting apprenticeships@marketingcollege.com.
