Member Article

Social Media apprenticeship secures first public sector partner

The UK’s first social media apprenticeship programme, Manchester’s The Juice Academy, has secured its first public sector partner, the West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS).

The Service is searching for two social media apprentices to join its Birmingham corporate communications team – and the deadline for applications is fast approaching.

WMFS has teamed up with The Juice Academy to find the perfect applicants.

Applications are being welcomed until Friday 24 January before WMFS hosts a ‘boot camp’ selection day at its Vauxhall Road base.

Two lucky applicants will be based at West Midlands Fire Service Headquarters in Birmingham, with planned ‘away day’ training at The Juice Academy in Manchester (all travel expenses covered).

Ty Bhogal, WMFS Head of Creative, said: “We were so impressed by the calibre of apprentices at the Academy, we simply had to have one! We’re changing the way we communicate with our local communities and this is a very exciting time for a newcomer to join our team.

“This is an unrivalled opportunity for school leavers to use their social media skills - which come naturally to them - in the workplace, benefiting both us as a fire service and them as the apprentice.

“We know the West Midlands is brimming with social media talent and we’re really looking forward to hearing from Facebook fanatics and tweetaholics who want to join us.”

The Juice Academy opened its doors to its first cohort of apprentices in July and has since placed 27 social media apprentices in their first job since leaving school or college. The brainchild of Manchester’s Tangerine PR, the Academy was launched to increase youth employment and fill an industry-wide skills gap by training young professionals in the practical application of social media.

WMFS is not just about the firefighters who come to the rescue in emergencies - it’s also about educating the community and helping people to live safer lives.

Being at the forefront of safety issues is key and this is the perfect role for someone who thrives on knowing what’s happening in the West Midlands.

To find out more about the vacancy and to apply, please visit www.juiceacademy.co.uk or emailapprenticeships@juiceacademy.co.uk with ‘WMFS’ as the subject.

The Juice Academy is looking for even more businesses to take a social media apprentice from its January cohort. To find out more, please contact Anna Wilson at The Juice Academy on 0161 817 6600 or emailanna.wilson@juiceacademy.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .