Lifetime Training

Communications strategy, Messaging development, Earned media relations, Content creation

The brief

Lifetime Training is the UK’s largest apprenticeship training provider. Our brief is to support Lifetime to build share of voice and increase overall presence of Lifetime, ensuring external positioning matches the company’s reach within their key markets.

Objectives

To mobilise the Lifetime Training press office, including creating core messaging, calendars, case studies and company backgrounders, and to increase share of voice through timely engagement in sectoral and wider societal themes.
To develop the Lifetime position on key industry issues in apprenticeships and wider skills and employment issues, ensuring that apprenticeships are considered in the forefront.
To build and mobilise a new approach to stakeholder engagement for Lifetime, identifying existing relationships which could be better utilised and new opportunities for engagement in key markets, including sectoral groups, youth organisations and NGO stakeholder groups.

Target Audience

Lifetime Training is well known in the sector, but a lack of concerted press strategy previously means there is not widespread understanding of the business’ values or ethos.

Target audience includes:

Current and potential employer partners in key markets for Lifetime, including hospitality, health and social care, retail, active leisure and IT and digital.
Current and potential learners, coaches, and Lifetime employees, and wider industry stakeholders.

Insight

Our strategy is to build overall corporate reputation and ensure Lifetime’s share of voice reflects existing market leadership position. We are also seeking to counteract potential challenging narratives relating to the business and wider apprenticeship market.

Our partnership began with a house in order process to get to know Lifetime’s competitor market and understand the business’ unique position, as well as a share of voice analysis to assess which topics would help us to gain cut-through.

Ideas

Case studies

We are developing a bank of learner case studies for use across earned, owned and shared channels by shining a light on the stories of apprentices who have benefited from Lifetime’s support – and the coaches and employers who work with them.

Social Mobility

Apprenticeships, particularly in the sectors where Lifetime operates, can play a role in supporting business and nationwide social mobility goals. Ahead of a key sector event, we plan to collaborate with Lifetime employer partners to spotlight the role of apprenticeships and ITPs in supporting this vital agenda.

Newsjacking

The skills agenda, levelling up, staff shortages and the future of the Gen-Z workforce are just a handful of the key national topics of relevance for Lifetime. As such our strategy places particular emphasis on newsjacking and topical comment to position Lifetime as a sector leader, and on apprenticeships as a key part of the solution to national challenges.

Impact

During our first three months we have: