From Apprentice to Award-Winning Marketing Coordinator: Ellie's Story

With a Distinction in her Level 3 Multi-Channel Marketing Apprenticeship and winning Technology and Digital Apprentice of the Year 2026, Ellie has built a successful marketing career.

Now Marketing Coordinator at Sarissa Precision, she leads much of the company's marketing activity, including campaigns, website management, product launches, content creation, and digital communications.

Her journey also challenges a common misconception about apprenticeships. After graduating with a degree in Filmmaking in 2021, Ellie spent several years searching for a permanent creative role. Despite gaining experience through freelance work and internships, she struggled to find a long-term opportunity that offered progression and stability.

Through a Level 3 Multi-Channel Marketing Apprenticeship with CT Skills, she developed the skills, experience, and industry knowledge needed to change careers, while enabling her employer to grow in-house marketing capability and develop a key member of the team.

Key Achievements

• Achieved a Distinction in her Level 3 Multi-Channel Marketing Apprenticeship
• Named Technology and Digital Apprentice of the Year at the Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Apprenticeship Awards 2026
• Progressed from apprentice to Marketing Coordinator
• Took ownership of key marketing functions including campaigns, website management, content creation and digital communications

Finding a Different Route into a Creative Career

After graduating with a Filmmaking degree in 2021, Ellie spent three years pursuing opportunities within the creative industries. While she gained valuable experience through freelance projects and internships, securing a permanent role proved challenging.

At the time, she was working in a warehouse through an agency while also taking on temporary photography work. When she came across a marketing apprenticeship vacancy through CT Skills, the opportunity offered something different.

"I applied on a bit of a whim, not really expecting anything to come from it. Looking back now, it was genuinely the best thing I could have done for my career."

For Ellie, the apprenticeship provided an opportunity to enter a new industry, earn while learning and build practical workplace experience. It also demonstrates that apprenticeships are not just for school leavers. They can provide a valuable route for graduates and career changers looking to develop new skills and access long-term career opportunities.

Building Skills Through Real-World Experience

Joining Sarissa Precision as a Multi-Channel Marketing Apprentice gave Ellie the opportunity to develop skills across content creation, campaign management, photography, videography, social media, email marketing and website management.

One of her earliest challenges came during a Kickstarter collaboration with a gaming company. Having previously focused on photographing people and landscapes, capturing highly detailed miniatures required her to develop entirely new photography and Photoshop techniques.

"I had to completely rethink how I approached photography. It was a steep learning curve, but it pushed me to develop skills I didn't know I had."

By applying her learning directly in the workplace and with support from CT Skills tutor Jo Pickard, Ellie quickly expanded both her technical knowledge and professional capabilities.

Progressing from Apprentice to Marketing Coordinator

As her apprenticeship progressed, Ellie became an increasingly important part of the business's marketing function.

When her manager left the organisation, Ellie stepped up to take responsibility for a wide range of activities, including website management, social media, email marketing, campaign planning and content creation. Rather than outsourcing these responsibilities, Sarissa Precision was able to develop existing talent within the business and retain valuable marketing expertise in-house.

By the time Ellie completed her apprenticeship in October 2025, she was managing much of the company's day-to-day marketing activity and supporting the delivery of campaigns across the organisation.

Her contribution led to her promotion to Marketing Coordinator shortly after completing the programme.

"To have gone from starting as an apprentice with very little marketing knowledge to independently managing a company's marketing activity is something I'm incredibly proud of."

Employer Perspective

“Ellie came to us with a creative background but no experience of the wargaming industry. She’s worked hard to understand our products and customers and now takes responsibility for our day-to-day marketing and product launches. For a small business like ours, having someone who can take that on and make it their own is a huge help.

“The apprenticeship gave her the chance to put what she was learning straight into practice, and we’ve benefited as her skills and confidence have grown. We’re very proud of how far she’s come. Her distinction and this award are well deserved.”

-    Steve Cumming, Managing Director, Sarissa Precision Limited

Achieving a Distinction and Regional Award Recognition

One of Ellie's proudest achievements was achieving a Distinction in her Level 3 Multi-Channel Marketing Apprenticeship.

Having never received a top grade in previous qualifications, the result held special significance.

"When I found out I'd achieved a Distinction, it made all the hard work, long hours, and moments of self-doubt completely worth it."

Her success was recognised further in 2026 when she was named Technology and Digital Apprentice of the Year at the Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Apprenticeship Awards.

The award recognised not only her learning achievements, but also the impact she had made within the business and the progression she achieved during her apprenticeship journey.

Why Ellie Recommends Apprenticeships

Ellie credits much of her success to the support she received throughout her apprenticeship.

"My tutor, Jo Pickard, helped me navigate a completely new industry and career. The support I received from CT Skills was unmatched, and I always felt like there was someone there to help when I needed it."

For anyone considering an apprenticeship, Ellie's advice is simple:

"It's never too late to learn something new, change direction, or take a different path. Sometimes the opportunities you least expect turn out to be exactly what you needed."

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