PR apprentice Review

My role as a PR apprentice differs most weeks as we work on different campaigns and projects all the time. My role consists of creating graphics for social media, drafting press releases (internally and externally) and news alerts, measuring the coverage that Sage receive from tier one publications, writing a daily overview of the coverage Sage receive, planning videos and interviews that take place in our studios and supporting my team with anything else they need help with.

Since starting my role I have developed many skills including creating and designing graphics/gifs that are released onto social media, mainly Twitter and measuring coverage we receive on a site called Signal AI. I have also developed my writing skills by learning what language to use and how to position a press release, which differs depending on if it’s for internal or external use. I have also developed my communication since starting my job as I have become more confident in presenting and speaking in front of others confidently.

I am really enjoying the programme that I’m on, I complete my apprenticeship work every Friday for seven hours. The programme has a range of different learning tools provided including, videos, a textbook, podcasts, writing tasks, handbooks and articles. Every week I learn a new topic and I find them interesting to learn about and they also help me develop my skills while im working.

The program is really well organised and structed, the website is easy to navigate as well. Once i have completed an activity i can click the box to say i have done it and it will tick it of my to-do list. This helps me to keep track of the work i have completed but also the work that i still need to finish which helps me to make sure I’m not lacking behind.

My employer is very good at supporting my apprenticeship work, during our weekly 1 to 1’s we go through the topic and work i will be completing that week and she helps me if i need help understanding a task. She also makes sure the work i have on is going well and i feel comfortable enough to ask for her support if I’m struggling with anything.

I have a monthly call with my tutor who makes sure that i am understanding the topics I’m learning about and also goes through the next month of coursework i have coming up. Each week i send over the written tasks i have completed and he gives me feedback on it. My tutor supports me a lot and is also very knowledgeable about PR which also boosts my learning when i speak with him. I also have a quarterly review with my manager and someone who works at the college to make sure everything is going well and check if i have any problems with the course.

The topics i complete during my apprenticeship really nicely links to the work i complete in my role. This helps me to preform much better in my role and also quicker as I’m not having to ask loads of questions or ask for support on what I’m doing as i feel confident enough to complete them on my own due to the learning i have completed.

There are many social activities that i can get involved with at work - the main would be the summer and Christmas work parties that we have. Since I’ve been working here i have never heard of any networking events that have taken place but that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been any. I also don’t think there are any sports teams within Sage.

Yes

Sage is a really welcoming and friendly business to work for and i'd say it provides a healthy working environment which everyone deserves to be a part of. It is a good organisation to start a new career with and it is somewhere that you can work for a long time as long as you put the effort in.

I would say to be 100% yourself during the process and never be ashamed of who you are - Sage are very good at not judging you as a person and only look at what you could bring into the organisation. Another piece of advice i would give is to do your research before having an interview - the background of Sage, who Sage are, etc - so that you can impress whoever is interviewing you with the knowledge you have. It also makes you look like you really want the job and are willing to put effort into the role.