Building the future with Babel

Happy National Apprenticeship Week! This year, the chosen theme is ‘building the future’. This revolves around the benefits that apprenticeships can have on individuals, businesses and communities in general and how apprenticeships can shape an individual’s future. Apprenticeships are great pathways for individuals to develop invaluable work skills while learning about their chosen industry. They are a great way for someone with little experience to enter an industry and to learn more about it first-hand. I am currently doing a PR and Communications apprenticeship with Babel to get a level four diploma in public relations. This apprenticeship has been the perfect blend of learning about the industry and learning how to perform well in a work environment.  And as Babel’s first apprentice, I thought it would only be right to share my experiences and how this apprenticeship has helped to shape my future.

Why I think that my apprenticeship has been so valuable:

When my sixth form began to discuss university applications and securing places at universities, I started to doubt whether going to university was something I would like to do. I realised that I only wanted to go because I thought that it was what I should do. I still wanted to gain qualifications, though, as this would help to open so many doors. An apprenticeship was therefore appealing as I’d have the chance to avoid missing out on the social aspects of university and experience a lively workplace while also gaining qualifications.

I have been at Babel for nearly five months now and this has already given me such a valuable experience. I have attended online training sessions that will help me on my journey to obtaining my qualifications. These webinars covered everything from ethics in PR to social media management. As well as this, after expressing my keen interest in social media management, I was given the opportunity to join the PR for Babel team which has been the highlight of my time at the agency so far. I love making social media content and monitoring analytics to find the most effective social media strategies. It was refreshing to be given these responsibilities as an apprentice and to be given the chance to learn and grow. I have also been involved with many interesting clients with a broad range of specialities and the variety means there is never a dull day for me here at Babel.

Office culture:

Babel’s office culture is something that I have loved being a part of as well as a great learning experience that I would not have gained if I had gone to university. Commuting to London in the morning and coming into an office has been a new and thrilling experience. Being in the office has also provided me with some great opportunities for me to learn about office culture. For example, I think that being taught how to talk to journalists is one thing, but hearing senior members of staff and other consultants pitching to journalists around you has been a great way for me to learn – and something I wouldn’t have gained from a classroom setting.

Doubts about career pathways:

Although I was very excited to start my role at Babel, I was also nervous about discovering that PR was not the industry for me, but luckily this apprenticeship has only solidified my love for the industry, despite barely scratching the surface. I think that is something great about apprenticeships; they offer you the chance to not only learn the theory and practises behind an industry, but also to experience these things first-hand. This apprenticeship has been a great way for me to avoid going into an industry that I realise I don’t like at a later stage. I also think that one of the great things about entering the PR industry is that it is so diverse. If I had discovered that I did not enjoy a certain aspect of PR, there are so many other options available for me out there within the world of PR. These include careers such as event planning or public affairs. It has also been an invaluable way to avoid investing both time and money into something that I thought I ‘should do’ rather than something I was keen to do. Being this certain of what career you want to pursue at a young age is rare and truly invaluable. It is something that I owe to my apprenticeship.

There you have it! If you would like to hear more about the opportunities that we have here at Babel or how we can use social media to help you grow your business, do not hesitate to get in touch.