Liam Bateman, The Think Tank
Construction has spent years treating apprenticeships as one way to close its skills gap on site. The same approach could help train the people who market the industry.
Ask most people how to get into construction and they’ll probably mention an apprenticeship. Earning while you learn a trade on site is one of the industry’s best-known routes in.
There’s no equally well-known route for the people who help construction and built environment businesses explain what they do. These are the marketers, PR people and account managers who turn a technical product into something a specifier, contractor or housebuilder will actually read.
Those roles need people too. And getting into it can be surprisingly hard.
The experience problem
For someone starting out, getting that first job can feel like hitting a wall. Employers ask for experience, but how do you get experience if nobody gives you the chance to start?
Construction marketing adds another layer. The products are technical and buying decisions involve lots of people. Sales can take months or even years to close. Knowing how a specifier thinks, what a contractor wants from a product page or why a website case study matters, takes time. Most of it comes from doing the work alongside people who’ve done it for years.
Borrowing from the site model
Site apprenticeships work because they combine paid work with structured learning. People earn while they learn, and they finish with a recognised qualification. That approach can work for office-based roles too.
That’s the thinking behind The Think Tank’s new Apprenticeship Scheme, an 18-month programme offering opportunities in PR, account management and digital media. The agency works with clients across construction and the built environment, so apprentices will gain early experience of the sector alongside other B2B industries.
Each apprentice will complete a fully funded Level 4 apprenticeship. Around a day a week of paid time is set aside for off-the-job training. The rest of the week is spent on real client work alongside experienced colleagues.
The three routes cover:
PR: how stories are developed, how to work with trade and national media and how clients communicate with the people who matter to them.
Account management: how client relationships work, how projects are coordinated and how the right people come together to deliver.
Digital media: the channels and content that help clients reach and engage their audiences.
After 18 months, apprentices will have a nationally recognised qualification, practical agency experience and a solid foundation for a career.
Why it matters now
AI is changing how marketers work, and quickly. A tool can draft a product description in seconds. Judging whether it would make sense to a quantity surveyor still takes experience. As AI takes on more of the execution, understanding an audience, asking the right questions and knowing what good looks like become even more important.
That makes early, hands-on learning more valuable.
Opening the door a little wider
You don’t need agency experience to apply, and a degree is welcome but not essential. The focus is on potential, curiosity and a real interest in building a career in marketing. The roles are hybrid, based at our Holborn office in London.
Four apprenticeships won’t solve the problem of getting young people into work. But they could give four people the experience, skills and confidence to take their next step.
Applications for The Think Tank Apprenticeship Scheme are open now and will close on 21st October 2026. Find out more and apply here.