I chose Reigate College because of the great range of courses on offer. I found it really freeing compared with school and made some great new best friends who’ve been with me every step of the way. I also thought the teachers were amazing and so focused on the students and setting us up for success.
I knew I wanted an apprenticeship after attending Get Ahead Day in the Lower Sixth. Unis did seem fun but I was keen to get started with work straightaway. Getting an apprenticeship was less easy however. It’s grown in popularity as more people are seeing the benefits, so that means it’s increasingly competitive. Although I had work experience from Tesco and a pub, I found I was I losing out to people who had more hands-on experience of creating promotional campaigns and using Photoshop, which isn’t cheap software to buy when you don’t have a full-time job!
In the midst of this, my dad relocated to Leeds, where I knew nobody and had no network, so I had to work hard to find and apply for opportunities locally. Having had the feedback about relevant experience, I also decided to do some online courses to ramp up my digital marketing skills and eventually, with persistence, I broke through and got an offer from Senior Stairlifts.
The company were impressed with my perseverance and willingness to learn and offered me a Level 3 Digital Marketing apprenticeship with potential to progress to Level 4 once I’ve completed my first apprenticeship in February 2026.
I started off in a small team of six in the office, but in just a year that’s now a larger group of nine with more growth planned. Being in this environment has helped me gain an understanding of all aspects of company life – from customer calls to product knowledge – alongside my marketing duties.
Two days a month I have my formal learning time, which is held online. This splits down into two main areas: data and creative. I’m learning everything from writing copy and search engine optimisation to email marketing and running a media campaign. And when I go on to doing a Level 4, I will be given more responsibilities, for example, the chance to lead projects, not just support them.
Given my learning is all online it’s been great to join the Yorkshire and Humber Ambassadors Network to meet other apprentices and share our experiences. I’ve already been to a networking event, a golf tournament and a brilliant conference up in York.
To anyone who’s facing difficulties finding or securing an apprenticeship I’d say keep developing your skillset to match the opportunities that you want: while an apprenticeship is a place to learn, companies increasingly want to see your passion and proactivity, so do whatever you can to demonstrate your commitment to the role.
Lianna Naylor
Reigate College: 2021-2023
Higher education: Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship with Estio while working at Senior Stairlifts
