Tuesday, 01 December 2015
Redweb team
Six of the first crop of students in Digital Marketing from The Bournemouth and Poole College have found full-time careers with Bournemouth-based Redweb. The award-winning web design and digital media company is helping to build the town’s reputation as the fastest-growing contributor to the UK digital economy.
Redweb, who were recently ranked the number 1 agency in the Wirehive 100 league table, is always on the lookout for emerging talent and encouraging young people to enter the digital industry. They are well-known in the area for their event digital wave, which is open to school and college students to attend and gain an understanding of the industry from keynote speakers. When they heard that the College was launching a course and Apprenticeship in Digital Marketing and Social Media they were keen to get involved. The Apprenticeship course has been heralded as a pioneering new option, offering practical experience and real opportunities to enter the advertising and digital marketing industry.
The launch of the course in 2014 was well timed. In a 2015 industry review The Tech Nation stated that Bournemouth’s digital economy is expanding faster than London. With such a thriving digital scene students on the course have a strong pool of talent available to them offering world-class on the job training which, when paired with academic learning, can really kick start their career.
The course itself provides training in web design for advertising and marketing campaigns. The key to the course’s rapid success is that each apprentice is paired with one of the many successful local agencies, specialising in digital marketing and social media. One day a week is spent at college, exploring and researching the latest developments in IT software, marketing theory, and web design. The remainder of the week is spent working as part of the workforce at an agency, alongside and in collaboration with industry experts.
Redweb’s Chief Executive Andrew Henning said: “Each apprentice entered the process with no understanding of agency life and left college with a job offer at the largest financially successful agency in the South West. After the success of the first batch of apprentices, Redweb is proud to be a part of Bournemouth & Poole College’s Digital Apprenticeship scheme for the second consecutive year.’’
“Studying at college one day a week, and working here for four days, the apprentices have the benefit of both practical and academic experience while also earning a wage. This year we are giving a further seven apprentices the opportunity to work alongside and learn from our experienced staff. We have high hopes that our new apprentices will be of the same strong calibre as last year. They have fitted in really well to agency life."
Max Lee, from Bournemouth, who was in the first group to take the course, has no doubts about the value of the system.
“What a year it has been! Beginning a career with Redweb through this apprenticeship scheme has taught me the necessary skills I need to be able to work in a professional digital environment. The on-the-job training paired with one day of study a week at Bournemouth & Poole College has really helped to broaden my digital knowledge.
"The combination of both experiences has developed my confidence and expertise which has kick-started my career. I’d certainly urge others interested in the world of digital marketing to consider apprenticeships. It offers opportunities that might not be presented through other courses.”
