Earn while you learn with a Fred. Olsen apprenticeship

I started work as a Digital Marketing Apprentice here at Fred. Olsen Travel in 2017. I now have a full-time job in the eCommerce department after completing my course and learning the skills needed for the role.

Starting out, I didn’t really know what to expect, I had mostly thought of the generic tea and coffee making. When first meeting my team, I was quickly shown that this wasn’t the case, with the help of a mentor that would oversee my progress throughout and could help me stay on track, she has arguably been the main factor for my success while remaining at Fred. Olsen Travel and has even taught me a lot of life lessons that will stick with me forever.

During my apprenticeship I was able to tackle all aspects of the eCommerce department; from email marketing creation, graphic design, copywriting, webdesign and automation.  My team encouraged me to find the path that I most enjoyed and best suited my skills.

I know many people may be looking at this with a big decision; whether to take on an apprenticeship or not. I can proudly say that it has been one of the hardest, but best things that I have done.

In early 2017 I was on the hunt for a new career. The only problem was I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. That was until I had heard that the company was looking for multiple new apprentices throughout the business. My curiosity was peaked and I decided to apply for the Marketing Apprenticeship role within Star Clippers as it appealed to my more creative side. Subsequently, I was offered the apprenticeship and quickly found a passion and love for it and for those who supported me. Long story short, I have since been hired and have been with the company ever since. I learned a great many things throughout my apprenticeship and there’s no doubt in my mind that this is one of the reasons that I have progressed as much as I have in the business. I would definitely recommend an apprenticeship to anyone who is looking to gain fundamental skills within a workplace and wants to get their career off on the right foot – It helped me find my dream job and I know it can for others as well!

I completed a Level 3 Travel Consultant apprenticeship within the Ipswich TravelQuest branch. The reason I chose an apprenticeship over going to university is learning on the job, plus the bonus of earning money! I gained customer experience and confidence whilst completing my apprenticeship and found the apprenticeship catch ups very beneficial to learn from previous apprentices at Fred.\ Olsen Travel. I had opportunities to go on cruise ship visits and training conferences which helped my knowledge of selling holidays and cruises grow.

I now working within a different department at Fred.\ Olsen Travel but I am able to bring my knowledge and experiences together from my apprenticeship in the retail branch to continue to succeed in my current role.

Since joining Fred Olsen Travel I have had a really positive experience. Throughout the recruitment process and my time here so far, I have been made to feel comfortable in my new role and within the team. Everyone is always willing to help and work as a team which makes for a positive and encouraging work environment. I applied for the role of Apprentice Accounts Assistant because I wanted to explore a different career where I had the opportunity to progress in the future, which was exactly what Fred Olsen Travel was offering. The company’s values stood out to me, especially the equality and diversity values and the inclusivity of their employees. The accounts department are very supportive of my studies on my apprenticeship, allowing me study leave to prepare for my exams, which is something I’ve never experienced within a company before. This is extremely helpful towards achieving the best possible results I can in my exams, and also helps me excel further in the workplace too. The apprenticeship is a great way to balance earning and learning at the same time! It allows me to apply my learning immediately within the workplace so I am constantly learning and improving my knowledge. Overall, I could not have asked for a better start at a better company. Fred Olsen Travel is a great company that care about the wellbeing and standard of their employees, always looking for us to improve and to enjoy our day to day work and I look forward to continuing and developing my career here.

I have been working at Fred. Olsen Travel Since August 2022 as the Marketing & Design Apprentice. I really enjoy working here because I have been able to be as creative as I like and I get to work with so many passionate people. My experience so far while working for Fred. Olsen Travel has been really good as I felt so welcomed from the beginning and everyone will do their best to help you if you’re struggling. I have been finding the work I am given is becoming more natural and I’m always learning something new on a daily basis. I’m becoming more and more confident in the work I’m given each day.

I found out about this job on the Government website under the apprenticeship vacancies. I had been looking for an apprenticeship in Marketing & Design for a while and this one fitted perfectly. When applying for the job I found the process simple and easy to understand. This helped me a lot as I didn’t know how the application process worked as this is my first job since leaving college. The whole interview process was really smooth and I didn’t feel uncomfortable while being interviewed. I got the opportunity to stay and see what a workday in the marketing department looked like during my interview. This gave me an insight into what I could expect if I took the job, this definitely made me feel welcomed into the business.

I was fortunate enough to be able to go on my very first conference a month into my job on Virgin Voyages, Lady Valiant Cruise Ship, from Ibiza to Barcelona. It was such a surreal experience and it definitely helped me understand the cruise industry a lot better.