Views as an MSQ Apprentice: Yasmin Foxwell

There’s no doubt that having a strong team filled with ambition and passion stands at the backbone of any successful company; and here at MSQ, we’re lucky enough to have an ever-growing pool of emerging talent who’ve come to us as part of our apprenticeship schemes. 

We’re to proud to mentor, motivate and shape the next generation of industry specialists across the tech, creativity and media sectors, so our future’s in good hands. As a part of National Inclusion Week, we chatted with PPC Account Executive Apprentice, Yasmin, who’s work ranges across multiple clients at Walk-In Media, to hear all about her pathway into the industry.

After leaving school, I decided to follow the path of becoming an apprentice rather than moving on to further education at university. I thought that it would be far more beneficial for me to work in the field that I was learning about, rather than just studying media without being able to experience what an actual job role in the industry would be like. Working and studying at the same time allows for me to have a wider understanding of my role, whilst also gaining experience in how to implement my academic learning into my day-to-day tasks at work. 

I work within Walk-In-Media who have a yearly intake of apprentices. I think that it’s beneficial for MSQ to work with apprentices because we are new to the industry and very willing to learn. As most apprentices have just left school, they are attentive and used to being in learning environments. Hiring apprentices gives an agency the opportunity to train someone from the very start, fully immersing them into their company practices and helping them to grow and develop into future roles.

There are lots of benefits to being an apprentice in this industry, but I think that the best thing about the role is having the opportunity to work with such a wide range of people. Walk-In-Media is a company full of people of all levels. Working and communicating with this variety of people has allowed me to gain so much knowledge about the industry after just a years’ experience. However, being an apprentice can have its downsides. I have found that sometimes it can be challenging to balance my academic study with my company workload. When working and studying at the same time it can be hard to decide which tasks to prioritise so that you can complete everything on time. Although this is difficult, I’ve found that the best way to deal with it is planning out your week before it starts by deciding which tasks you want to do on each day and sticking to a schedule that works for you. 

After leaving school it can be challenging to decide what to do next. If you’re considering an apprenticeship, I advise that you fully research what it entails and make sure that it is the correct choice. It’s certainly not the easiest option, but with some hard work it can open up a wide range opportunities. I think that it’s something that everyone should consider, and I’m very happy with the decision that I made to follow this path. 

During my time at MSQ, I’ve had the opportunity to work across many clients, my favourite client being Soho Works. I really enjoyed working with them because they were a brand-new client which gave me the opportunity to be involved from the very beginning. I also enjoyed being able to work across two different media teams on this (Paid social and Paid search), as I was able to broaden my skills and gain wider experience. 

I am now in the final few months of my apprenticeship, and I have learnt and experienced so much in the year that I have spent at MSQ. Once I have completed my apprenticeship, I intend to continue developing my career in the media industry. I’m excited to take on more responsibility and see what opportunities arise in my future.