Scores of digital marketing apprenticeships available through new initiative

Media investment company, GroupM, is recruiting more than 90 digital marketing apprentices.

The roles will be split between Manchester and London and the allocation of numbers will depend on how many applications are received at the two centres. The recruitment drive is part of a wider investment by the company into apprenticeships.

GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, is partnering with EdTech start-up Multiverse, to recruit the apprentices for its first Digital Academy programme allowing participants to specialise in search, social, programmatic and e-Commerce digital marketing.

GroupM office has an office in Hardman Street, Manchester, and, while Multiverse is based in London, it is increasingly offering apprenticeships in Manchester and across the UK.

Assessment days will take place mid-July, with all roles open to people without university qualifications.

The Digital Academy delivers best-in-class training, with specialist classes and one-to-one coaching. Over the 15-month programme, apprentices will master topics ranging from digital marketing principles to the basics of coding. Specifically, their first six weeks will be focused entirely on training, getting them up to speed in how digital works, their specialist areas and hands-on in specific platforms, including Google and Facebook.

With three of the top five global media agencies and $63bn in annual media spend, GroupM’s apprentices will have the opportunity to work with some of the world’s leading brands at the heart of the media and advertising industry.

The Digital Academy will also enable GroupM to continue to deliver crucial skills to clients. Digital is a key area for the company, last month it produced its forecast for digital advertising and predicted growth of 33% in 2021.

Training will be delivered by a combination of GroupM specialists, Multiverse and some of the key digital marketing platforms.

Paul Cooper, COO at GroupM agency Mediacom North, said: “Digital marketing as a specialism is seeing huge growth, especially over the last 16 months, creating a massive demand for people with these specialist skillsets.

“However, people with these skillsets are in short supply. At GroupM we want to train the next generation to help us continue to grow. We are passionate about recruiting non-graduates and giving people real apprenticeships in an industry that will dominate the next 20 years in terms of media consumption.

“We want young, diverse talent from any and all backgrounds that reflect the society we market our clients products to. We have a people-first philosophy which runs through everything we do and believe.

“We are looking for applicants for both our Manchester and London centres of excellence to help us build our business and your career whilst having fun as we do it. You don’t have to have a degree to succeed in our business, most of our senior people have come through the business learning by doing on the job training, the industry is that fast paced it’s the best way to learn.”

Multiverse matches talented individuals with careers and delivers world class training in a wide range of qualifications in leadership, digital and technology. Apprentices benefit from one-to-one coaching with an industry expert and are supported by a thriving community with events, socials, mentoring and leadership programmes designed to exceed the best of the university experience.

Euan Blair

Multiverse founder and CEO, Euan Blair, said: “Recruiting talented digital marketers is essential to media and advertising agencies around the world, and apprenticeships are becoming the best way to find and develop that talent. The expansion of GroupM’s apprenticeship programme will create career-defining opportunities for talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds.

“Professional apprenticeships offer a unique and exciting way for great companies to invest in their workforces and develop leaders of the future. Apprenticeship skills are taught, tested and learnt through immediate application in the workplace – that makes them a highly effective way to equip people with the skills they need to be successful.”

GroupM’s investment in its new Digital Marketing academy comes via the Apprenticeship Levy.