As part of our commitment to supporting early careers, we sat down with Ben Alexander, our Apprentice Communications Assistant, to reflect on his first year in the role.
Q: What made you choose a communications apprenticeship?
A: I initially chose a communications apprenticeship as I’ve always loved the idea of working in some way with social media. I also did some work experience with the media department at Oxford United Football Club where I got to see how they did things on the website and through their social media channels.
Q: How did you feel on your first day, and how do you feel now looking back?
A: On my first day I was definitely very nervous with this being my first full time job however as soon as I had met Louise, my line manager, and the rest of the team, they all made me feel very welcome and comfortable.
Q: What were your expectations before starting, and how did reality compare?
A: I think one scenario where in reality it was different to what I expected was the trust that Louise and others who I have worked with have had in me. For example, I was trusted from quite early on to manage our social media accounts by myself. I think that this has really helped for me to develop my skills and become more independent and confident within my work.
Q: What key skills have you learned in your first year?
A: In my first year I’ve learnt a lot. From a technical side of things, I have developed skills in graphic design, video editing, AI and loads of website skills. However, I’ve also learned other skills such as improving in public speaking, leadership and teamworking skills.
Q: Were there any challenges you faced, and how did you overcome them?
A: One challenge I faced was when I was asked to do a presentation to the Business Administration team on my work that I had done so far. I have never really liked public speaking, so this was a little bit daunting for me at first. However, it helped that I was speaking about my own work to people that I knew, and after doing the presentation I would definitely be much more confident in doing something like this again.
Q: What has surprised you most about working in communications?
A: I would say that one thing which has surprised me is the attention to detail which is needed. Whether it’s sending an email out to the department or a social media post, it’s very important that there are no silly mistakes and that everything is checked multiple times!
Q: What achievement from your first year are you most proud of?
A: I think that my work I have done on the Off the Beaten Track video series has been my achievement I’m most proud of. While working on this I have made the thumbnails for the YouTube videos and created the short video promotional videos which have been posted on the University's social media accounts. It’s been very exciting to be able to work on this project and I’m very thankful to Emily, the EDI Manager, for the opportunity and the trust she has had in me!
I’m also very proud to have been nominated for the Intermediate & Advanced Apprentice Award for the Oxford University Apprenticeship Awards 2025 and the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards 2025 as a Rising Star.
Q: How has this apprenticeship shaped your career ambitions?
A: This apprenticeship has helped me discover areas of work that I genuinely enjoy and feel passionate about. It’s given me clarity and confidence in the direction I want to take my career, and I’m excited to keep building on these.
Q: What are you most excited about in your second year?
A: For my second year, I’m looking forward to continuing being more independent within my work, to also continue to improve the skills I have already learnt and to further my skills and knowledge on AI and how it can be used to improve our productivity in the workplace.
Q: Finally, what advice would you give to someone who might be considering doing an apprenticeship?
A: I would 100% recommend doing an apprenticeship. As someone who was never really interested in going to university, it's been great to be able to work whilst also being able to learn and gain a qualification. I would advise anyone considering doing an apprenticeship to sign up to the Oxford University talent pool, which is usually live between February and May, and from here you will be able to see any apprenticeship opportunities available to apply for within the University.