Member Article

Ten Juice Academy social media apprentices clinch permanent jobs

Lots of ‘likes’ are in prospect for a group of young social media apprentices from the North West, celebrating after being offered permanent full time employment.

A group of ten 17-19 year-olds, who form The Juice Academy’s first cohort of budding social media stars, have all been employed by their placement company after continually delivering impressive results since joining the programme a year ago.

The Juice Academy apprenticeship – the brainchild of Manchester’s Tangerine PR – was created to increase youth employment and fill an industry-wide skills gap by training young professionals in the practical application of social media.

Apprentices are trained in key skills such as social media management, developing content for social sharing, developing a digital strategy, keyword analysis and SEO, and social media for mobile.

As part of their day-to-day roles, they play a vital part in their company’s or clients’ social media strategy and bringing to life the lessons learnt from class.

Lucy Adams, senior project manager at The Juice Academy, said: “When The Juice Academy was launched, just one year ago, our goal was to assist bright young people in securing a foot on the career ladder.

“The fact that every single one of our first cohort has been offered permanent employment is testament to their individual talents and professionalism and sets the bar for our remaining and future cohorts.

“Each and every apprentice has proved to be an essential asset to their teams and I have every belief that they have very successful careers ahead of them.

“The news is also evidence of the dedication of The Juice Academy tutors, who take time out of their careers to teach the apprentices on a regular basis.”

Carly Phillips, 19, who is now employed by Bruntwood, said: “When I was told I’d got the job, I felt like everything had clicked into place – it’s amazing and I’m completely overwhelmed.

“I feel really lucky to have been supported so well from day one, by everyone I work with at Bruntwood, the tutors at The Juice Academy and of course, my parents.

“University is not the only option for people my age and I’m glad my career is starting now, rather than in a few years. If I could give any advice to fellow teenagers in a similar position, it would be to give it a go – you never know where the chance might lead.”

The Juice Academy, the UK’s first employer-led social media apprenticeship, is committed to providing career opportunities to young people across the North West, just like Carly.

The Academy is currently recruiting its fifth cohort of apprentices, with apprenticeship roles up for grabs at a number of leading North West and national companies.

These include the world’s largest indoor trampoline park, Jump Nation; Sir Bobby Charlton’s humanitarian charity, Find a Better Way; promotional space managers, Bo-concepts; estate agents, Miller Metcalfe; taxi firm, Street Cars Manchester; commercial PR agency, Finn Communications; Vegas style Casino, Manchester 235 and creative marketers Cuckoo Design.

To find out more about The Juice Academy’s next cohort of social media apprentices, or to apply, please contact Lucy Adams on 0161 817 6600, email lucy.adams@juiceacademy.co.uk or visit www.juiceacademy.co.uk/apply-now.

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