This week, 6th – 12th February 2023, is National Apprenticeship Week. A week dedicated to raising awareness of apprenticeships and the long-term benefits and developmental opportunities they can provide to both apprentices and businesses. We took the opportunity to sit down with our Marketing Apprentice, Oliver Mackman, to discuss his personal journey since joining Mackman in 2020.
How has Mackman supported you during your apprenticeship?
Mackman has supported me not only by providing me with the equipment and software that I need to learn, but also giving me additional training with CIM and any basic training I need to use the software that’s available to me. There are also many staff members willing to help me whenever I need it.
The staff at Mackman have great industry knowledge and my apprenticeship has enabled me to gain experience in different areas of the business, learning from the teams. It feels great to have such a supportive and inspirational team who can share their industry knowledge with me.
What skills can you take from your apprenticeship to help you throughout the rest of your career?
Being able to organise and time manage my tasks is definitely a key skill to ensure I am hitting client deadlines. And my professional manner, so being able to communicate professionally in the workplace.
These are skills that I can apply to any industry, and which I will carry with me for the rest of my career. It’s so valuable to learn the academic side of the role through my apprenticeship as well as the practical skills needed for the long-term job.
What have you most enjoyed about your apprenticeship at Mackman?
I definitely enjoy the customer facing work so when I go out on project site visits (with our creative and research teams) and get to meet with the clients face-to-face. I also enjoy quite a lot of the research projects because once again you’re out and about engaging with people and building relationships.
We also took the opportunity to discuss the apprenticeship scheme with Managing Director, Paul Mackman, to discover how past and present apprentices have impacted the business, and in turn, our clients.
Why is it important to offer young people opportunities in the industry?
It’s challenging for young people to break into our industry, many employers need staff to quickly have impact and therefore seek applicants with relevant experience and qualifications. Apprenticeships offer a great entry route into sustainable employment with on job, hands on training that develop skills for life. For many this is more appropriate than a university degree or full-time college course. Marketing is a creative sector dominated by left brain thinkers who are not necessarily very academic or high qualification performers.
What positive impact do apprentices have on the business?
We recognise the value that young people bring to the workplace with energy, fresh thinking, and a healthy alternative perspective. Apprentices are funded so offer a business the chance to provide training at lower cost. Our younger employees pick up tactical skills swiftly which we use as a foundation to develop talent with more strategic understanding in the longer-term. Remember Mister Miyagi in Karate Kid starts with “wax on”, “wax off” before developing the more sophisticated skills. For graduates this can be frustrating as despite being equipped with some theory they still need to learn practical basics.
At Mackman, we are committed to provide the younger generation with industry opportunities and we can see the real benefit of having young, energised individuals in the workplace and collaborating on projects. In the past, we have also participated in the Government’s Kickstarter scheme which provided late teens to early adults with job opportunities in an attempt to reduce the risk of long-term unemployment.
We will also be attending the Ormiston Sudbury Academy speed networking day on 10th March 2023, to meet with several groups of students to discuss the career opportunities and past projects. This event aims to improve the students networking skills and boost their confidence, while finding out about the world of work from within.
Find out more about our experienced team members and our past experience today, and get in touch!
