The Margate School's Digital Marketing Apprenticeship
As the Cultural and Creative Skills recently reported, the Government’s 2021 Spring Budget is providing more support for apprenticeships: “From 1st April 2021 until the end of September, the incentive scheme will be simplified and increased to a £3,000 payment per hire, regardless of the apprentice’s age. Additionally, a new ‘flexi-apprenticeship’ programme will start in January 2022, which will allow apprentices to work for a number of different employers in the same sector.”
The Margate School is pleased to announce that it is the first creative organisation in Margate to have taken on an apprentice, the wonderful Poppy Phibbs, in the area of digital marketing. Poppy commenced her Digital Marketing Apprenticeship in March and has been busy working closely with the TMS team to help promote their dynamic arts programme.
Apprenticeships are important to Britain’s economy and creative industries have now become a cornerstone of our economy. In fact the creative sector is one of the most diverse in the world. With this apprenticeship, young people have the chance to develop the skills to help them thrive in the industry. They can learn how to run creative events, create costumes for a theatre production, sound productions, festivals, manage the lighting in a music studio or learn what it means to work with the latest digital technology. Or they may help with community regeneration through the arts and technology and bring a variety of people together. The skills you’ll learn can be transferred to other industries or secure jobs at a gallery, a studio, film production or photographic studio, a theatre or a creative community hub. Apprenticeships raise aspiration and self-worth. It’s or should be a cornerstone of every town and community, be part of its social and cultural fabrique.
Hopefully more opportunities will follow, here at The Margate School and at other local creative organisations and companies. The aim is to develop a creative apprenticeship initiative for Margate and the district that will encourage creative organisations to create apprenticeship opportunities, especially since the Government has announced new incentives, such as the Kickstart Scheme.
Poppy Phibbs says:
“I’m The Margate School’s (TMS) first digital marketing apprentice, and I’m very grateful they chose me to take this journey with. I started in March and it constantly surprises me how much time has flown by, it’s been a dynamic period of time. The skills, knowledge, and confidence I’ve gained over the past two months have been invaluable and unexpected, and I still have 16 months to go! I’m looking forward to all the surprises, challenges and learning curves that this apprenticeship will throw at me and I’m deeply appreciative to have Cambridge Marketing College and TMS there to support me. The team has been amazing, there’s a level of respect and kindness that I haven’t had in a workplace before and that feeling of appreciation really does go a long way. This opportunity, on my side at least, has been doing a world of good and I would love to see more people do apprenticeships, and see more companies offer them. At the end of the day this apprenticeship feels like a way of learning that isn’t selfish, there’s a give and take on both sides that’s more than just money. It’s a well rounded experience that’s innately practicing co-operation and investing in people.”
Poppy Phibbs’ exhibition “I can't draw cars because I don't like looking at them” is on show now at The Margate School until May 17.
