Uptree

Whilst in Year 12, Leah was focused on learning more about the business and marketing sectors, as she wasn’t sure which industry was right for her. As a result, she attended multiple Uptree events that had a business focus, as well as an event Uptree ran with Publicis Groupe that explored the advertising industry.

“I did a few with very big employers, like JP Morgan, all large and reputable business employers. Then I happened to do one with Publicis [Groupe] and I absolutely loved it, as it really got me into the field of advertising and what the industry would be like to work within. I moved away from the business sector completely.”

Leah found the Publicis Groupe event valuable as it enabled her to see what it would be like to actually work at Publicis Groupe.

“The Insight Day was really good. All of the workshops that Uptree hosted were really insightful and the employers themselves were so good to be a part of. It definitely felt like you weren’t just seen as a student, you were seen as someone who could potentially be working there. As soon as I went to that event I had this aspiration that I wanted to work there.”

“Having Uptree hosting work experience that I can just go to for free; having a whole day of being in that company and seeing what it is like to work there, definitely gives you a feel of what it would be like to work there.”

Leah noted how there had been a dearth of media and creative work experience placements available to students and being able to get some experience through Uptree opened her eyes to the media industry.

“Uptree helped me veer away from looking at multiple industries and just looking at one because there isn’t much media work experience at all... I realised at the time that most of the experience that I did was either in tech - which obviously did help me as marketing is a digital sector - or business. With Uptree, having that marketing work experience day was honestly probably what pushed me to work in this company because I only knew a small amount about Publicis [Groupe] through looking on their online careers page, but I think that going to the in-person event really boosted my knowledge and expertise of the work involved within the company and allowed me to better imagine a place for myself within the firm.”

Networking with employers at the Publicis Groupe event enabled Leah to build her self-confidence to apply to apprenticeship roles.

“The Publicis [Groupe] event with Uptree was actually the day that I got Jack Latchford's [Talent coordinator at Publicis Groupe] LinkedIn, and then I built my relationship with him. He sent me the applications by email as soon as they opened. If I hadn’t been given the opportunity by Uptree to go to that event, then I wouldn't have met him and I probably wouldn't have known about the applications being open. It could even be the case that I would have applied too late, and might not be the apprentice that I am today! “

Uptree’s digital resources were also very pivotal in helping Leah identify open events and roles, and stay proactive when applying to them.

“Receiving the newsletters was very helpful, naturally I was always looking for more work experience to have in my pocket, so I was actively checking the website, but having the newsletter with daily updates and new blogs to read really made me proactive.”

“I did also use Uptree to look at available marketing and advertising apprenticeship roles near me, and saw that Publicis [Groupe] offered roles that I could potentially apply for. Many huge companies for marketing don't actually offer work experience, so having that visibility on such a large scale company was great.”

Leah had a full circle moment after sitting on a panel at a recent Uptree and Publicis Groupe event.

“It’s really weird to think how I’ve come full circle: that event that I attended two years ago was hosted at the office that is now where I work! I did a panel talk recently at an Uptree careers event with Publicis and all I could think about was how two years ago it was me sitting in the crowd as an unsure sixth form student.”

Leah is currently a Media Planner with Digitas, an advertising agency under Publicis Groupe. Leah helps to plan campaigns and creates reports on new industry insights to use on marketing strategies to best support the needs of consumers. Leah also gets to manage the creative costs for campaigns and is working towards a qualification in Data Analytics. It’s a 13 month qualification that will lead to her becoming a fully qualified Media Executive, with an earning potential that is the same, if not more, than a university graduate.