PR & Communications Apprentice Review

I help to support Sage's global corporate affairs team with internal and external communications. Day to day this can involve anything from writing content for social media, newsletters or internal articles to owning the management and responding to partner enquires via email. At lot of my work also revolves around the company's global event in which i am leading and responsible for all the internal communications for Sage Partner Summit 2022 our signature annual partner event.

After finishing six-form with a-level qualifications I wanted to learn more but knew university wasn't for me. My apprenticeship is the perfect balance of learning new skills on the job, studying the theory behind the industry and also getting a salary! Since i started this role, every day i learn something new be that from my colleague's course or learning from my peers with years of expertise. Sage also have a range of "Sage Learning" courses in which i often use to upskill on topics i feel i need more knowledge in.

I couldn't ask for anything better. My apprenticeship course links to exactly to my role so whatever topic I'm learning i can use the skills immediately in my day-to-day job. My team are so engaging with my apprenticeship programme also and always delegate me tasks that match to what I'm learning that week to truly get that on the job and learning feel.

The structure is amaxing. I've got clear days in which i study which are fully protected meaning no matter how busy my day-to-day work is nothing comes before my apprentice work. My colleague mentor is amazing, always there to give support 24/7 and responds to any queries immediately. The online college portal is really well organised and is clear. I can see exactly what tasks i need to complete and all the resources linked to the task are there too.

I get my manager's full support. They are so protective over my apprenticeship work ensuring i put my out-of-office notifications on to ensure nothing gets in the way of me completing my tasks in my designated apprentice work time. There general attitude towards it is amazing i can tell they are genuinely interested in my course and want to see me succeed in it. My day to day work tasks are always linked to my apprentice tasks to get that real work on the job feeling.

I get as much support as i need. My tutor is amazing. If i need anything or have any concerns i can contact them at any time and they will respond almost immediately with support. My monthly catch-ups with my tutor are really effective where we talk about the work coming up and if i have any problems or questions.

The topics in my college course are perfectly linked to my role therefore this makes me perform even better. It allows me to learn different approaches, definitions and models. I then use this in my daily role and can link this up to real life business models and approaches for exmaple

I started this role during lockdown, therefore, haven't experienced many in-person activities as much however as we start to get back to normal my organization have started to organize more social events. At Sage, family, friends and community are so important. Sage foundation is a large part of the organization and culture. I'm so lucky that my organization give us 5 volunteering days a year to give back to our community.

Yes

The people are truly amazing. There is nobody in the organization who wouldn't be willing to help you at anything work related or not. Going to work doesn't feel like going to work, it feels like I'm working with a huge group of friends all with the same common goal of thriving to succeed.

Be your authentic self. Although Sage is a global successful tech company we pride ourselves for our people who are authentic, friendly and real. Don't be shy to show your true personalities as uniqueness is really valued. Don't overcomlicate things as simple and friendly approach is the best.