My name is Brendan and this week I started my new apprenticeship at KopyKat Marketing and Communications. I recently left Lydiard Park Academy 6th form where I was taking my A-Levels in photography and IT. I enjoyed taking both these subjects as they allowed me to express my creative side. Photography was my favourite subject which allowed me to express my creativity through building messages and meanings behind the photos I was producing.
I am really excited to start my apprenticeship as it will allow for me to show off all the different skills I learnt during my IT and Photography A-Levels. For example, for my IT course I needed to create graphics for different tasks. Creating graphics and taking photos to fit a brief was also a task I had to do for my photography course which has allowed for a smooth and comfortable transition. After completing my A-level courses I was having a look at possible job roles that I would think would be suited for me which is when I discovered digital marketing. Reading through this job role clicked with me straight away and it was everything I would want to be doing with my career. The main part of working in a marketing agency that really did interest me is the variety between companies and all the different content that I will need to create to follow our client’s marketing aims.
The morning of my first day I couldn’t have been more excited to start my new job and get started on all the work that was planned. I was excited to learn all the new skills and really start to master all the different aspects of the job. The first task I was set with was working through Canva and trying out all the different tools and other ways graphics could be made. Since then, I have been using Canva every day to create new graphics for a range of platforms and for different businesses. I have also been looking at the research that is needed to create a wide range of content for our clients. The businesses we work with operate across a variety of industries and I have started to learn research techniques to develop and create content for them, which is aligned to their individual objectives.
The largest piece of work I have completed so far is a piece of industry news for a client where I created the graphic for their post and wrote the caption. The best part about doing this was being able to see the process through, from start to finish.
Making the transition into the role easier has been helped by both my new colleagues Kate and Zoe. They are extremely friendly and welcoming, and they’re both especially helpful when it comes to learning new skills by sharing the experience with me and showing me the different ways tasks can be done and completed to a high standard. The whole vibe within the office is also very relaxed and chilled out which helps with having a stress-free zone for when completing work, helping with moral.
In September, my 18-month apprenticeship will start. From here I will be spending some of my days out of the office at Cirencester College where I will be being taught more skills, which I will be using on a day-to-day basis in my apprenticeship role at KopyKat. Doing an apprenticeship is allowing me to gain experience whilst still gaining my qualifications which I think is the best fit for me.
Over the next 18 months, I will be sharing my experiences here in the "Apprenticeship Diaries", so please check back soon to see my progress!