Six new marketing apprentices have passed their first assessment with flying colours.

Douglas based The Marketing Partnership launched the new marketing apprenticeship scheme last September for island businesses with backing from the then Department of Economic Development.

And it was over-subscribed with young people interested in marketing as a career.

Heather Blackley, director of The Marketing Partnership, said: ’The apprentices are all different ages, with different backgrounds but they have come together as a group really well and are already conducting themselves as professional marketers.

’They are competitive, love learning and I discovered early on that they also like biscuits!

’They have set up their own study group on Facebook to support one another and share learning.’

She added: ’ I am so proud of all the students and their achievements but just as importantly I would like to thank the employers for offering such fantastic apprenticeship opportunities on what was originally just a vision.’

The Marketing Partnership is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing. (CIM). Diane Earles, network manager at CIM, met five of the six students to congratulate them on their achievements so far on this new apprenticeship.

She said: ’They are a lovely group of budding marketers and it is wonderful to see the programme being embraced wholeheartedly not only by them but also by Isle of Man employers.’

She added: ’Congratulations to Heather and the students, and let’s hope this is the start of a long-term investment into professional marketing in the Isle of Man.’

Two of the apprentices returned to the Isle of Man to pursue their careers.

Faith Berry was signposted to the Marketing Apprenticeship Scheme by the Job Centre upon returning to the island.

Faith is working with Hospice Isle of Man, an organisation close to her heart as she has known a number of people who have been cared for by the charity. She said: ’I don’t know what I would have done without the apprenticeship scheme, it is a great opportunity for people to better themselves.

’I have been able to build on my creativity and skills gained from my studies in planning marketing campaigns.’

Faith has found that the apprenticeship is a totally rounded experience. She said: ’A lot of people apply for jobs and aren’t successful because they lack experience.

’This scheme gives you work experience, a wage and a new skill, even if you don’t decide to carry on with it afterwards. If anyone is thinking of an apprenticeship, do it!’

Abbie Costain has already been asked to stay on past her apprenticeship at Equiom, a global company offering professional services for high net worth individuals.

She is part of a marketing team of 11 spread across offices in the Isle of Man, Jersey, Hong Kong and Singapore.

She said: ’It has really been good, I like the structure, it is a step into working full time and I want to carry on my CIM qualifications.’

She added: ’Employers may see taking an apprentice as a bit of a risk and university might often seem to be the preferred route, but we are all willing to learn and university is a three-year commitment whereas this is just one year and a great experience.’

Senior manager at Equiom, Caroline Ashley, said: ’We are very pleased to be participating in the Isle of Man Government supported Marketing Apprenticeship Scheme. Abbie has settled in really well and is proving to be a very capable team member. It really is a fantastic opportunity for her to study and gain on the job experience and be in a position to use ’real life’ case studies to support her learning and assessments.’

Phoebe Harwood knew she wanted to stay on the island after leaving school and was the first apprentice to be signed up with Appleby, a leading offshore law firm, who were also the first employer to join the programme.

Phoebe said: ’I thought marketing was what I wanted to do and I was aware of CIM but didn’t really know how to go about getting started. Now I know that marketing is definitely for me. I have travelled to Jersey and met a lot of different people and it’s great to work for a such a large company.’

She added: ’It was definitely a worthwhile decision.’

Liam Finch was actively looking for marketing work whilst in a variety of administrative roles and came across the apprenticeship advertised by Luviair, a helicopter management company.

He was already aware of CIM because his brother had taken the exams and this persuaded him to enrol.

’It felt like a step back to take two steps forward,’ he said, ’but this is a great way to get a wage, a professional qualification and learn. It is a good work life balance’.

The apprenticeship has allowed Adam Jones to get on track with his chosen career after he had left full time education.

He is working at PWC in Douglas, somewhere he didn’t think he would be before having started the scheme.

He said: ’Starting a job in a big company was a bit intimidating at first, but I love every minute of it. I am getting involved in social media activities, building webpages and going to events shadowing the marketing executive.’

He added: ’Wednesdays are great, when we have our lesson with Heather, but I wish it could be for longer as I want to learn more, and it’s much more relaxed than school.’

Jennifer Radcliffe, marketing executive at PwC, who is mentoring Adam, said: ’The opportunity to support the next generation of marketers on the island, while boosting our marketing resource attracted us to the scheme.

’The scheme is enabling young professionals to gain valuable on-the-job training alongside the credibility of a professional marketing qualification delivered locally, providing an excellent grounding at the beginning of their careers. Working with the Marketing Partnership has been seamless and would encourage businesses to support the future of this scheme.’

As a result of the programme’s success through its first trial year, the Marketing Apprenticeship Scheme will continue with another intake for September 2018 with support for a further 12 Marketing Apprentices on the one year programme.

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