Marketing Executive Review

My role at Pearson PLC during the degree apprenticeship was based in Marketing. The responsibilities varied including campaign management, reporting to internal and external stakeholders, working with designers to produce engaging assets for both print and digital, developing email campaigns, etc, and I was given autonomy to carry out my responsibilities.

Most definitely - the one that comes to mind first is time management. Balancing a full time job with studying a degree was challenging, particularly when assessments were due, but it taught me how to be more efficient and manage my time effectively. I've applied this into my role at work and it has helped me keep organised no matter how many deadlines or projects I have going on.

There are two parts to my apprenticeship: the Business Management degree and gaining Chartered Manager status with the Chartered Management Institute. I enjoyed studying for my degree as I explored a variety of business functions, and how they were interlinked - using examples from my own role to bring it to life, and subsequently used this to support my portfolio submission / EPA with the CMI.

The programme was well organised and clear from the get-go. I knew what modules I was studying each term, and how I would be assessed. Term dates were shared in advance to help us plan annual leave accordingly around our study. Pearson have a great support team too so if anything was ever unclear, you could approach them to gain clarity.

Pearson PLC's support for apprentices is brilliant. They have a team dedicated to supporting you and cheering you on from the sideline. From hosting regular coffee mornings to celebration events, they are very hands on and want to build a community of apprentices across the company - which I think they did.

There were a range of support tools available including a virtual library for textbooks and a dedicated Student Support Team to help with any queries. For academic support, you can reach out to your module tutor if you are not understanding the content or have questions that you would like to explore.

My degree taught me many skills which are transferable into my current and future roles. Examples of this includes time management, project management, analysis and evaluation, understanding the wider business context and presentation skills. I was able to take my developed skill set and improve within my role to earn a promotion, and progress my career whilst studying.

Before the pandemic this was much easier as we could go for team lunches, away days or drinks after work. There were also many networks you could join to meet similar professionals outside of your immediate team, and meet others in the company which was particularly helpful for new apprentices.

Yes

Pearson PLC are a supportive company and have a great culture. There are lots of development opportunities and possibilities for progression which I found very motivating and encouraging, especially as a younger professional. It is great to be part of a company who are agile to changing markets and is also forward looking.

My biggest tip is to not be afraid and to be confident throughout the application and recruitment process as you need to show them why you deserve to have this opportunity. Undertaking an apprenticeship requires dedication and strong time management, so I suggest sharing examples of when you have applied this in the past.