Ellie Hawkins is an Account Executive for the award-winning integrated marketing agency, Bray Leino. Ellie is currently doing a Level 4 Marketing Executive course with Cambridge Marketing College. Ellie has been in this apprenticeship for just over a year and has around 6 months left until the end-point assessment.
What are the responsibilities of your role and what does a typical day look like for you?
Typically, I spend Monday-Thursday working in my Account Executive role which usually consists of working closely with clients, managing projects, event/trade show attendance, supporting the internal agency team and providing support for larger campaigns. A typical day for me would start off checking if anything has come in overnight on my emails as we work with a lot of different companies in different time zones and then have a catch up with my team about what we are all doing for the day/week. I’m generally seen as the bridge between our marketing agency (and the services we provide) and the client so throughout the day I usually have meetings with the internal team members to see where they are with certain projects. I then have a catch up with the client to report back and keep them updated on any ongoing tasks we have. There are also some smaller projects I manage on my own so it’s great to have that balance and experience to relate to my apprenticeship.
Then I have the Friday dedicated to studying. Each Friday I will go on to my online portal and see the study plan that I need to complete for that week, this usually consists of reading, maybe a video or podcast, and then a task. The videos are my favourite as they support the books so well and provide another perspective to what I’m reading.
What has surprised you the most about the apprenticeship and the industry?
At the time, I didn’t know many people who were working in an apprenticeship, most were attending university, so I didn’t really know what to expect going into this, but I was pleasantly surprised! Regarding the industry, I did not realise how much marketing affects our daily lives and how much thought goes into so many aspects of one campaign or project. It’s changed my perspective on life and is something that I pay attention to without even realising.
Do you have any highlights or a memorable moment from your apprenticeship?
Honestly, my studies have been very smooth sailing throughout the past year, and overall, it’s been a great experience and the tutors that I have supporting me are so helpful and friendly.
What’s been the biggest learning curve?
I think the biggest learning curve for me is finding out how I learn best and what works for me. Luckily my apprenticeship provides multiple different ways to learn so I’ve had the chance to discover how I digest information easiest.
Why did you decide to take the apprenticeship route into the industry?
I decided to take the apprenticeship route after realising that university wasn’t going to work for my type of learning and what I wanted to do. There weren’t many marketing courses that I found were perfect for me and what I wanted to learn, and I also find learning whilst working gave me the chance to experience the topics I was studying firsthand. I think I would’ve found learning it all completely from scratch a lot harder as the projects I work on in my job role, I can find a way to link to what I’m studying at that time.
What advice would you give to those considering an apprenticeship?
I would say that if you learn best through experiencing things, an apprenticeship is a great way to gain qualifications. It was hard to choose this path for myself initially as most of the people I knew were going to university at the time but for me, this was the best decision I could have made career-wise!
The combination of experience and qualifications is exactly what employers are looking for and more and more companies are opening up to the idea of apprenticeships.
Find out more about the Level 4 Marketing Executive apprenticeship on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) website.
Bray Leino is an award-winning integrated agency. They drive growth through creativenergy®, by going beyond, to find the most powerful way. Their unexpected, attention-grabbing and above all, commercially effective ideas are growing brands around the world. Find out more.
You can find out more about apprenticeship routes into the advertising and marketing sector via the Institute for Practitioner's in Advertising (IPA) website and careers hub.
The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), incorporated by a Royal Charter, is the trade body and professional institute for agencies and individuals working in the UK's advertising, media and marketing communications industry. Find out more.