Marketing and sales

Wondering what an apprenticeship is like?

Sheona Woodward – Level 4 Sales Apprenticeship, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

What’s an apprenticeship in marketing and sales?

Apprentices in this industry have the ideal opportunity to be leading the way in the fast-changing landscape of marketing and sales. You’ll be well positioned to witness new developments first-hand, such as the rapid explosion of digital marketing, allowing you to develop valuable skills which will be in demand in the future.

As an apprentice in marketing and sales, you can create a career to match your aspirations. If you have ambitions to climb the career ladder there is potential to work towards a senior management / board level position in a household name organisation or even become the CEO of your own marketing agency.

Kasia Fairclough – Level 6 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship, BT

“Digital marketing is innovative and exciting! There are always new digital channels being released and, as an industry, we’re always looking for new ways to do and test things. With everything going digital, it’s such a broad area that will just continue to expand massively going forward.”

Richard Turner – Senior Manager for Apprenticeships, BT

“One thing I’m passionate about is making it clear that apprenticeships are available to everyone and factors like age, background or status have no relevance. They are a systematic approach to learn and develop a new skill whether that’s straight after school, after college or for someone looking for a career change. They really are for anyone committed to their own personal growth.”

Facts and stats

Average salary

The average salary across different roles in marketing and sales is £35,797 in the UK¹.

Core skills

The National Council for Vocational Qualifications identified the core skills needed in marketing and sales roles were customer service; selling; negotiating and influencing; analysis and decision-making; and management skills².

Well-known employers

Well-known larger employers offering marketing and sales apprenticeships include BT, ITV, Microsoft, Sky and Vodafone.

Industries

Marketing and sales roles feature in every industry including healthcare, education, engineering and financial services, to name just a few.

Career opportunities

With the huge growth in social and digital media, digital marketing is now a key part of the strategy for most businesses, creating more opportunity for career progression.

A growing industry

66% of marketers expect revenue at their business to grow over the next year to 18 months, showing the growth of the industry³.

Who would suit an apprenticeship?

Apprenticeships in marketing start at intermediate level but offer the potential to achieve higher and degree level qualifications making this an industry with a great deal of potential for growth and future career opportunities.

Whilst often paired together marketing and sales are two different yet overlapping roles. Marketing is concerned with raising customer awareness about a product or service and sales is focused on motivating a customer to buy it. Roles could include digital marketing, event management, market research, sales consultant and many more.

There are many large organisations offering apprenticeships in marketing and sales such as Amazon, BT, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, ITV, Microsoft, Sky, TUI and Vodafone. You will find smaller businesses in many sectors also offer a vast number of apprenticeships too.

If you love variety, have a creative mind and thrive on collaboration, an apprenticeship in marketing and sales may be a great choice for you. If you have ambitious career aspirations, there is no shortage of potential.

Sheona Woodward – Level 4 Sales Apprenticeship, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

“Field sales is all about speaking to people and communication and, as someone who loves human connection, it’s perfect for me! My apprenticeship qualification and the experience I now have really sets me apart from the rest and I’m often approached with job opportunities now.”

Eshan Arya – Level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeship, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

“Why I do my work is really clear to me. I can see the results of all the project work I’m involved in and it gives me a sense of purpose! It never gets old seeing a new product appear in my local shop and knowing the role I played to get it there.”

Discover employers offering apprenticeships

Like the sound of an apprenticeship but not sure where to start looking? Get to know leading brands and the range of apprenticeships they offer.

Explore employers

Pros

There’s lots of flexibility in field sales to organise your own day.
You can see the results of your work through the products going to market.
Digital is huge area of growth with more roles created each year.

Cons

Digital is huge area of growth with more roles created each year.
You need to have the self-confidence to stand out which can feel daunting.
If you’re the only apprentice in your team, it can feel like you’re on your own.

Why choose an apprenticeship?

Without experienced marketing and sales professionals, the big companies that you are familiar with may never have become household names and many smaller companies would struggle to survive. As a marketing and sales apprentice, you will become an integral part of the success of your employer.

It never gets old! I still get excited when I see one a new product in my local shop.

Eshan Arya, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

As an apprentice you’ll be supported as you learn to adapt to new tasks and learn the latest developments in this fast-paced industry, in real time and in real business situations. You’ll also be supported as you study to gain a recognised qualification which will support you in achieving your career goals.

With such a variety of tasks involved in marketing and sales roles, having the support of an experience supervisor or mentor is invaluable and will ensure that you thrive in a creative and professional environment.

Professional roles allow us to grow and develop talent without the need to rely on a volatile job market.

Richard Turner, Employer at BT