Digital Content and Learning Specialist (Publishing Assistant Apprentice) Review

The role is an entry-level role and involves quality analysis checks of material written by teacher authors so that it can be converted into digital content. This means you will familiarise yourself with briefs for authors, development editors, copy-editors, as well as other relevant roles to perform your checks efficiently. You will also be involved in meetings with external suppliers and will contribute to decision making around content, alongside your team. Through day to day responsibilities, you will gradually build up the skills, knowledge and behavioural competencies in alignment with your apprenticeship framework.

I previously had no exposure to working in the publishing industry before joining the apprenticeship and now I am able to understand the broader publishing landscape and apply editorial skills that I have acquired through in-house as well as apprenticeship training. I have used similar skills daily due to the nature of the role but I understand that this will diversify with new responsibilities as time goes by.

The programme has adapted to suit the needs of working online and so there are lots of great online learning modules and live sessions to participate in with your fellow apprentices working in different companies. The 'community' feel has made it enjoyable. I enjoy learning about what other apprentices work on and how different it is, sector to sector. I really enjoy learning new things related to book publishing in our online learning modules- even if it isn't always directly related, it's good opportunity to learn more about why your business is different.

The structure is clear and there are timelines and frameworks made available to you for reference. You can always speak to a skills coach quite easily whenever you need clarity on structure. The programme itself is well organised.

My manager, in particular, supports the 20% off the job learning time by providing me with a day each week to work on my apprenticeship commitments. My manager is also enthusiastic and supportive of my learning and development at work. I can take questions regarding my learning to my manager and we fit in time to discuss answers as well as arrange meetings with people from other parts of the business who are always happy to discuss their role with you.

My training provider provides monthly 'Live' sessions with other apprentices across the publishing industry and we cover various topics and participate in varied activities that support our learning. My training provider also provides one to one sessions with my skills coach that allow me to discuss my progress and the best ways to proceed to achieve my qualifications.

The training provides you with online learning modules that at different points become relevant to your daily tasks at work e.g. marketing, rights, sales, editorial, etc. It's not specific to the sector I work in so there is a need for extra investigation to try and understand how my business works differently, but this is a interesting aspect of it. I gain lots of theoretical knowledge about the broader publishing industry that will be useful if I want to switch roles.

The company has an intranet that is provides a community feel for employees working locally and globally. It connects employees through different activities (mostly online due to home working restrictions) and there are many different groups you can join depending on your interests. You are also free to write blogs and join in virtual coffee chats to get to know other colleagues. There is provision for well-being classes as well (also currently online).

Yes

Pearson is a leading education company, and for this reason they really stay true to their value of continuous learning and development, for all their employees. They encourage opportunities for this and are collectively passionate about adding value to the world of education. It would be a great place for others who share the same values.

Do your research into the industry, the company and the role to get clarity on what you want. Attend webinars and watch videos on publishing and decide which sector and department you feel your values and skills are most aligned with. Be open to learning new skills and receiving constructive feedback that will help you develop. The interview is likely to be in stages so be prepared to share ideas and use your imagination, this will be a positive.