People: Page Kirk; Purpose Media

Accountancy firm Page Kirk has promoted two members of staff.

The Nottingham company has appointed Rachael Cobb as manager of accounts and her colleague, Jonathan Newman, as senior manager

John Wallis, senior partner, said: “I am immensely proud of Rachael and Jonathan for going out of their way to continually improve their own industry-specific knowledge, maintaining excellent client relationships, and instilling confidence in less experienced members of staff. It is their willingness to learn about new practices and industries, whilst leading and supporting others, that makes these two so valuable.”

Ruby Birks

A second apprentice has joined web development, creative and digital marketing agency Purpose Media, with a further two new apprenticeship places still on offer.

Ruby Birks lives in Chesterfield and is a former pupil of Tibshelf Community School. She has 11 GCSE’s and has previously been doing volunteer work for Derby City Council and Visit Derby where she was involved in key events such as The Toyota Twinning stand at Chatsworth Country Fair and the launch of the Derby Walk of Fame.

The apprenticeship that Birks will be studying is Level 3 Digital Support Technician and was arranged through Derby-based apprenticeship providers, EMA Training.

She said: “When looking for apprenticeships I came across Purpose Media and was drawn to the relaxed and friendly culture. I was also impressed by their client list and during the interview process I also thought the company training programme was very supportive.”

Managing director Matt Wheatcroft added: “Whilst the Government is currently offering incentives to encourage businesses to provide opportunities to young people, we were one of the early pioneers and truly value the contribution apprentices can bring to a company. The demand for our digital marketing services has risen exponentially and so has the requirement for good people. By nurturing and investing in talented individuals like Ruby and fully supporting them with the right training and mentoring programmes, we are able to offer rewarding and exciting careers and develop an experienced team of experts who are committed to helping clients get a return on investment from their marketing programmes.”