Colchester City Council
Wage: £15,392 to £24,454.04, depending on your age
Training course: Content creator (level 3)
Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. This apprenticeship follows fixed working hours to support structured learning, protected study time, and regular mentoring. There is some opportunity for working from home, where appropriate and agreed by manager.
Start date: Wednesday 6 May 2026
Duration: 1 year 6 months
Positions available: 1
Join our Digital Team as a Content Designer Apprentice and help shape how thousands of residents experience our online services. You’ll gain real responsibility, hands‐on skills, and industry‐recognised training while creating clear, engaging content that makes a genuine difference.
Wage £15,392 to £24,454.04, depending on your age National Minimum Wage Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab) Training course Content creator (level 3) Hours Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. This apprenticeship follows fixed working hours to support structured learning, protected study time, and regular mentoring. There is some opportunity for working from home, where appropriate and agreed by manager. 37 hours a week Start date Wednesday 6 May 2026 Duration 1 year 6 months Positions available 1
Create and improve website content that helps residents find what they need quickly and easily, while learning industry‐standard design and accessibility skills. Work with the team to understand user needs, shape digital journeys, and support updates across our council and commercial websites — including contributing to our new council website and migrating content from the current site to the new one.
Get hands‐on experience with content reviews, Service Desk requests, content migration tasks, and key updates throughout the year, supported by experienced designers and developers. Help create blended user guidance, including simple how‐to videos, step‐by‐step guides and interactive training content that supports services in managing their own web content, with full support and mentoring from the Digital Team.
Rowan House33 Sheepen RoadColchesterEssexCO3 3WG
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Course contents Interpret the aims of the brief.Research ideas and concepts to meet the brief.Evaluate brand requirements and brand guidelines.Prepare a mood board or other visual aid for the content to be created.Present ideas, pitches and proposals for creative content to be further developed.Storyboard and outline script their ideas for content to be developed.Interpret data, consider its integrity and use it to inform content.Develop accessible written content for different platforms and devices.Apply best practice and inclusive language when creating content.Write and edit copy or scripts for use on different channels and platforms.Create or capture visuals and audio using standard packages and equipment.Source, obtain and prepare media assets for use; using industry standard packages to adapt and edit content.Use industry standard tools and content management systems to organise, structure and label content effectively, methodically and securely enabling efficient search and retrieval.Identify and recommend the platform/s or channel/s to use for the media campaign.Develop and maintain effective working relationships with clients, colleagues and suppliers, establishing and using professional contacts.Engage and respond with audiences through social media, adapting content to respond to evolving circumstances.Monitor user experience to ensure content is focused on maximising engagement.Analyse the differences between audiences using audience segmentation techniques and data.Use lessons learned to evaluate the success of the content and identify areas for improvement for future campaigns.Use continuing professional development planning to support own current and future training and development needs.Operate effectively within the production workflow to meet production timelines.Interpret the aims of the brief.Research ideas and concepts to meet the brief.Evaluate brand requirements and brand guidelines.Prepare a mood board or other visual aid for the content to be created.Present ideas, pitches and proposals for creative content to be further developed.Storyboard and outline script their ideas for content to be developed.Interpret data, consider its integrity and use it to inform content.Develop accessible written content for different platforms and devices.Apply best practice and inclusive language when creating content.Write and edit copy or scripts for use on different channels and platforms.Create or capture visuals and audio using standard packages and equipment.Source, obtain and prepare media assets for use; using industry standard packages to adapt and edit content.Use industry standard tools and content management systems to organise, structure and label content effectively, methodically and securely enabling efficient search and retrieval.Identify and recommend the platform/s or channel/s to use for the media campaign.Develop and maintain effective working relationships with clients, colleagues and suppliers, establishing and using professional contacts.Engage and respond with audiences through social media, adapting content to respond to evolving circumstances.Monitor user experience to ensure content is focused on maximising engagement.Analyse the differences between audiences using audience segmentation techniques and data.Use lessons learned to evaluate the success of the content and identify areas for improvement for future campaigns.Use continuing professional development planning to support own current and future training and development needs.Operate effectively within the production workflow to meet production timelines.
This training schedule has not been finalised. Check with this employer if you’ll need to travel to a college or training location for this apprenticeship.
GCSE in:
English (grade Grade 5 or above)Mathematics (grade Grade 5 or above)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Communication skillsIT skillsAttention to detailOrganisation skillsCustomer care skillsProblem solving skillsPresentation skillsAdministrative skillsNumber skillsAnalytical skillsTeam workingCreativeInitiativeNon judgementalPatiencePhysical fitness
Colchester City Council serves a vibrant and diverse city of around 200,222 residents. We are a forward‐thinking organisation delivering a wide range of services and putting customers at the heart of what we do We are guided by strong core values, focused on improving our digital services and making Colchester a great place to live, work and visit. As a Living Wage Employer, we actively invest in our people, offering development, progression and high‐quality apprenticeship opportunities across the organisation.
https://www.colchester.gov.uk/ (opens in new tab)
After completing the apprenticeship, you could progress into a Content Designer, Digital Content Creator, or Web Content Editor role within the Council, depending on vacancies and business needs. Apprentices at Colchester gain structured development, mentoring, and real project experience that prepares them for entry‐level digital roles.
Interested in this role?