Publishing Professional Apprenticeship
Level 4
About this apprenticeship
LDN Publishing Apprentices provide support at every stage of the publishing process. The course covers the entire publishing journey, from the conception of a book, digital product, journal or other product, through to production, sales, marketing and publicity processes.
Publishing Professional Apprentices provide support for specific areas across all key parts of the publishing process from the conception of book, digital product, journal or other product (such as educational resources), through to the production, in a variety of paper and digital formats, and then to support the sales, marketing and publicity processes. Publishing Professionals will usually be involved with aspects of publishing which include editorial, marketing, sales, publicity, production, rights or digital. They will have an awareness or skills which stretch across the publishing process, particularly in smaller organisations. They will typically report to an Editorial Manager and are involved with editing, proofreading and briefing external stakeholders about their work and the work of colleagues.
Programme Details
Typical job titles: Editorial Assistant, Marketing Assistant, Publicity Assistant, Production Assistant, Rights Assistant, Contracts Assistant
Qualification: Level 4 Publishing Professional Apprenticeship
Duration: 15 months
Off-the-job Learning: A minimum of 6 hours of contracted hours to be spent on off-the-job learning activities
Content: Bespoke learning content available on demand through our award-winning learning management system. Further learning takes place through online live sessions and one-to-one coaching. Learners also benefit from the support of our community of apprentices.
End Point Assessment: Project and presentation. In-depth discussion based on portfolio
What do you need to know about hiring a Publishing Apprentice?
Since creating and developing the LDN Publishing Professional Lvl 4 Apprenticeship, the team at LDN know and understand the frequently asked questions we receive from publishers and line managers - so we’ve put together a handy ‘Publishing Mythbusters’ infographic! This is to help you understand how easy it is to take on a Publishing Apprentice and what you need to know about how a Publishing Apprentice would fit into your team. Download the ‘Publishing Mythbusters’ infographic below!
Course Contents
+ Getting to know the publishing industry
This is the first of five learning paths in the LDN Publishing Apprenticeship. In it, we provide a broad introduction to some of the key aspects of the publishing industry. The courses in this learning path are:
- Introduction to the publishing industry
- The Publishing Process
- How publishers make money
- Metadata
- Publishing Systems
At the end of this learning path, apprentices will have a keen understanding of the industry that they are working in and the different business models and processes that publishers use in their day-to-day operations. They will understand how publishers make money and have an appreciation for the importance and power of publishing metadata.
+ Editorial, Design & Production
In this learning path, we tackle the critical elements of the publishing process – editorial, design and production. The courses in this learning path are:
- Editorial
- Design Principles for Publishing
- Production
At the end of this learning path, apprentices will have learned about critical editorial skills as well as the different types of editing. They will have received a grounding in design concepts such as fonts and book design and they will be introduced to the world of book and digital content production.
+ Systems & Digital Publishing
Every industry has its standards and publishing is no different. In this learning path, we tackle/look at/explore common publishing systems and look at the rise of digital publishing. The courses in this learning path are:
- Digital Publishing
At the end of this learning path, apprentices will understand the importance and power of common publishing systems like Stison and Biblio. They will also be able to recognise and, in cases, utilise different markup languages including XML, LaTEX and HTML.
+ Publishing Rights & Law
No publishing professional can survive without understanding the relationship between an author and their publisher. The only course in this learning path is:
- Law and the Publishing Industry
In it, we look in depth at how author contracts are structured, understand what is being purchased in a range of different deals, what the copyright rules are and if there are any restrictions. We also look at libel, plagiarism and open source publishing.
+ Sales & Marketing in the publishing industry
In this learning path, apprentices consider the importance of sales and marketing in the industry. The courses in this learning path include:
- Marketing and Digital Marketing for Publishers
- Sales in the Publishing Industry
At the end of this all-important learning path, apprentices will understand how publishers reach and communicate with readers in the digital age. They will learn about targeting and identifying customers achieving product-market fit. Finally, they learn about the difference between PR and marketing and why it is important.
+ Evidence Portfolio
15 to 20 pieces of evidence that consist of a selection of three real-work projects and a range of naturally occurring evidence that demonstrates the apprentice's competency against the standard.
Publishing News
