The Juice Academy Journey

The Juice Academy began over eight years ago, in 2013, with the mission to fill the digital skills gap across the Northwest. As digital marketing and social media became an integral part of businesses growth, there also became a desperate need for people who were qualified within this area. The Juice Academy became the UK’s first ever industry-led Digital Apprenticeship, delivering the Social Media for Business Level 3 NVQ. ‘Industry-led’ meaning the apprenticeship was developed by industry professionals, just as the apprenticeship Standards are since the 2017 government reforms; so, The Juice Academy was ahead of the game.

The apprenticeship programme has allowed businesses to invest in budding talent across the nation, in particular the North West, and aspiring digital marketers have had the opportunity to work with businesses from a range of different sectors.

The Juice Academy has placed apprentices in some of the North West’s biggest brands such as Social Chain, Pretty Little Thing, UNILAD and Greater Manchester Police. The apprentices are able learn and grow within these fantastic companies all whilst receiving top-quality tutoring from the Tangerine tutors who are working professionals within the industry. Tangerine Communications delivers social media and content marketing for their clients such as Pizza Hut and Specsavers, and they have specialists in graphic design, community management and social analytics, to name a few.

We started in the North West mainly working with Greater Manchester employers, due to apprentices having to travel bi-weekly to academy sessions. COVID forced us online where we had to adapt and develop engaging, quality remote training. This has allowed us to work with national brands such as Hybert Design, BaaBar and Brand Machine Group.

In 2017 when apprenticeship standards moved to frameworks, The Juice Academy started to deliver the Digital Marketing Level 3. Our apprentices also completed the CIM Level 4 digital Marketing qualification as part of the course.

After two years of delivering the digital marketing qualification, it became apparent that there was a growing need for a more creative digital marketer; that were able to plan, develop, create and evaluate content, edit videos and photos, and have graphic design skills. Therefore, in January 2019, we started to deliver the Junior Content Produce Level 3 apprenticeship Standard. The course allows the apprentice to learn a wide variety of different skills within digital content marketing and production such as:

Content Planning

• Interpret the objectives of the client’s/customer’s brief

• Research ideas and concepts to meet the

brief

• Analyse the differences between media campaigns aimed at retention, acquisition, and conversion of customers for clients

• Identify & recommend the appropriate platform/s or channel/s to use for the media campaign

• Present ideas, pitches, and proposals for creative content to be further developed

• Ensure that the content being developed is organised, structured, and labelled effectively and in a logical manner that allows for efficient search and retrieval

Content Development

• Storyboard and outline script their ideas for content to be developed

• Operate effectively within the production workflow

• Obtain media assets for use within content creation

• Ensure content is accessible to all end users and language best practice is applied

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with clients, colleagues, and suppliers

• Understand the user experience to ensure content is focused on maximising engagement

Content Creation and Evaluation

• Write and edit copy for use in print and online

• Capture images and audio using basic video, still cameras and audio equipment

• Use industry standard packages to edit and post produce content

• Prepare media assets for use

• Manage media assets correctly, within agreed taxonomies and file types

• Optimise webpage content to ensure high rankings in search engine results

• Use industry standard tools and content management systems to manage content

• Assist in hosting message boards and engaging with audiences through social media

• Respond to audience feedback in a timely and appropriate manner

• Use lessons learned to evaluate the success of the campaign and identify areas for improvement for future campaigns

Industry Awareness

• Develop, maintain, and use professional networks

• Develop and maintain own competence and knowledge in specialist areas

• Follow health and safety procedures in the workplace

Through learning various skills within content production, digital marketing and social media, the apprentices can go onto specialising in different areas and opens up new job opportunities.

Some examples of roles graduates can go into once completing the Junior Content Producer Level 3 Apprenticeship are:

· Jobs in social media

· SEO

· Graphic Design

· Photographer/Videographer

· Digital Marketing Executive

· Community Management

· Social Analyst

Why not take a look at our Case Studies and Success Stories page to see what some of our graduated apprentices are up to: Click Here

Whilst completing the apprenticeship, each apprentice is able to network with professionals in the industry and maintain connections. This is not only a way for the individual to learn from their connections in the industry, but it’s also an avenue to create long-lasting relationships that provides the possibility of opening doors to new opportunities, having a growth in self-confidence and also having support from high-profile individuals. Some of our guest speakers include Ian Pettigrew from Kingfisher Coaching, Kevin Taylor from Crimson Peak, Tim Baxter and Jack Leigh from Eight Engines. To see the full list of guest speakers: Click Here

The Juice Academy have created over 400 jobs since 2013 and we look forward to creating even more in the future to help fill the digital-skills gap in the Northwest.