Supporting customer focused marketing activities through awareness raising and/or perception building.
Apprentices learn how to support and deliver marketing activities across multiple channels, working within a team to put a marketing strategy into practice. The programme covers marketing theory including the 7Ps, brand principles, copywriting and proofreading, SEO basics, and campaign analysis. Apprentices also gain working knowledge of GDPR and advertising regulations, how to brief external suppliers such as designers and printers, and how to use tools including CRM systems, email platforms, social media, and website content management systems.
Work varies depending on the organisation, but typically includes writing and publishing content for websites and social media, sending emails via bulk delivery platforms, tracking campaign performance data in spreadsheets, and proofreading copy before it goes out. Apprentices also assist with coordinating marketing activities, managing stocks of printed materials, and compiling briefs for external suppliers. They interact regularly with internal teams including sales, IT and finance, and with external agencies, media contacts and event suppliers.
Completing this apprenticeship is a common route into a marketing career. Most graduates move into roles such as marketing executive, marketing coordinator, or brand assistant. From there, progression typically leads to marketing manager or channel specialist positions in areas such as digital, content, or campaigns. Employers hiring at this level span virtually every sector, from retail and financial services to manufacturing, healthcare, charities, and agencies. Both in-house marketing teams and client-facing agencies recruit at this level, making it a transferable qualification across industries.
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No training providers currently listed for this standard.
Completers typically move into roles such as Marketing Assistant, Marketing Campaigns Assistant, Marketing Communications Assistant, Brand Assistant, or Promotional Assistant. Day-to-day responsibilities include coordinating campaign activity across digital and offline channels, writing and proofreading copy, publishing content via CMS and social platforms, managing supplier briefs, and tracking campaign performance data. In smaller organisations, the role often carries broader scope from the outset.
Within three to five years, many move into Marketing Executive or Marketing Coordinator positions, taking on greater ownership of campaigns and budgets. From there, two broad tracks emerge. The leadership route leads to Marketing Manager and eventually Marketing Director, with responsibility for strategy, team management, and commercial outcomes. The specialist route leads to roles such as SEO Manager, Email Marketing Manager, Content Manager, or Social Media Manager, with deep focus on a specific channel or discipline. Some move into account management within agencies.
Virtually every sector hires at this level. Retail, financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, professional services, and technology companies all employ marketing assistants in in-house teams. Alongside these, digital and creative agencies, PR firms, and media agencies take on assistants to support client accounts. Roles exist in large corporate marketing departments, small and medium-sized businesses where one person covers a wide remit, and public sector and not-for-profit organisations running awareness or engagement campaigns.
Learning takes place entirely in a real workplace, with the apprentice building knowledge and practical skills across the full range of marketing activities their employer undertakes. Before final assessment, there is a gateway check where the employer, training provider, and apprentice confirm that the required knowledge, skills, and behaviours have been sufficiently developed. Final assessment then confirms that the apprentice can perform the role to the standard expected, covering areas such as campaign delivery, data analysis, copywriting, digital tools, and supplier management. Assessment models for many standards are currently being updated, so check the standard's gov.uk page for the current specification.
Throughout the programme, apprentices should collect evidence of real work as it happens rather than trying to reconstruct it later. This means keeping records of campaigns supported, briefs compiled, content published, data analysed, and any other tasks that demonstrate competence across the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in the standard. Regular reviews with both the employer and training provider help identify gaps early and ensure readiness for the gateway. Building this evidence steadily throughout the apprenticeship makes the final assessment process considerably more straightforward.
A strong provider for this standard will have an achievement rate above 65% on their FATP profile, ideally higher, alongside positive apprentice satisfaction scores that reflect meaningful off-the-job learning rather than box-ticking. Because the role requires hands-on use of real platforms, look for evidence that tuition covers current tools: CMS platforms, email marketing software, social media scheduling tools and campaign analytics. Providers with employer satisfaction scores above 80% tend to run tighter feedback loops between workplace activity and taught content, which matters here given how quickly marketing platforms and algorithms change.
Be cautious of providers who describe their marketing curriculum in vague terms around "digital skills" without specifying which tools or platforms apprentices actually practise on. A high volume of learners combined with a declining achievement rate is a warning sign, as is an inability to share examples of the kinds of campaigns or content projects apprentices have completed. If a provider cannot explain how they keep GDPR and ASA compliance content current, or how they handle apprentices working in very different sectors such as B2B manufacturing versus consumer retail, treat that as a gap.
There are no nationally fixed entry requirements set by the standard, so individual training providers and employers set their own criteria. Most will expect good literacy and numeracy, and some basic familiarity with digital tools is useful. The apprentice must be employed in a genuine marketing assistant role for the duration. If you are an employer, check with your chosen provider about any specific conditions they apply before enrolling a candidate.
The typical duration is 18 months, though this can vary depending on prior experience and how quickly an apprentice progresses. Apprentices are employed throughout, working and learning at the same time. A portion of contracted hours must be dedicated to off-the-job training. Current reforms may affect the exact requirements, so check the latest specification on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education pages on gov.uk before making any plans.
Before reaching end-point assessment, the apprentice must pass through gateway, where the employer and provider confirm the apprentice has the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the standard. Assessment models for many standards are being updated as part of ongoing Skills England reforms. Check the current assessment plan on gov.uk for the up-to-date method. Generally, the apprentice will need to demonstrate competence across marketing planning, delivery, data analysis and supplier management.
The funding band for this standard is £7,000, which is the maximum that can be drawn from the apprenticeship funding system. Larger employers with a levy account use those funds directly. Smaller employers co-invest with government, typically contributing 5% of the training cost with government covering the rest. Employers with fewer than 50 staff who take on an apprentice aged 16 to 18 pay nothing. Speak to your training provider about registering on the apprenticeship service to manage payments.
Day-to-day work typically includes creating and scheduling content for social media and email campaigns, updating website pages using a content management system, supporting market research activities, proofreading copy, tracking campaign analytics and maintaining spreadsheets to monitor budgets or project tasks. The apprentice may also compile briefs for external suppliers such as designers or printers, attend trade shows or events, and present performance data to internal stakeholders.
Completion is widely treated as an entry point into a marketing career. Many go on to roles such as marketing executive or marketing campaigns assistant, with some moving into specialisms such as digital marketing, content or brand. A natural next step for those wanting to continue formal study is the Level 4 Marketing Executive apprenticeship or a professional qualification from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Progression depends on the employer's structure and the individual's areas of strength.
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Curated by Alex Lockey, FATP founder and editor. Last reviewed: .
Sources include the apprenticeship's official specification on apprenticeships.gov.uk, Skills England guidance, IfATE archive records, DWP funding bands, and provider data sourced directly from the public Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register (APAR). Standard reference: 480.
Some sections on this page were drafted with AI assistance from published source data and reviewed by a human editor before publication. See our editorial methodology for how we maintain this content. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.