Training at MVB: The Path to Becoming a Digital and Print Media Specialist

Yelda started at MVB in August 2022 full of enthusiasm - now, a good two and a half years later, she has completed her training as a digital and print media specialist with flying colors. She started with a great passion for books and digital content and immersed herself in the processes of product development and marketing. She also completed two intensive training blocks at the Mediacampus Frankfurt, where she received a lot of practical input. In this interview, she shares her personal insights and gives us a peek behind the scenes.

From writing your own articles for the Börsenblatt to supporting product management in the Digital team - how varied was your training?

As a trainee at MVB, you go through a wide variety of departments in order to get to know the company and its products from all angles. I started in customer service. During this time, I was able to get an initial overview of our products - such as the ISBN or the VLB - and deepen my knowledge through various tasks. I was also able to gain my first experience of dealing with customers through regular telephone and email correspondence.

My training journey then took me to the media department, where I gained an in-depth insight into advertising sales and advertising acquisition. After my time in the team, I began my first block of training at the Mediacampus in Frankfurt. During this time, I was able to absorb the theoretical knowledge I had learned and put it into practice in the editorial department, my next stop at MVB. In the editorial department, I gave free rein to my creativity by writing articles and conducting interviews for surveys with booksellers in the Börsenblatt and also gained insights into proofreading.

I then moved on to the Marketing and Communications department, where I was given a mix of creativity in the context of content creation for our Instagram page as well as advanced knowledge transfer in relation to public relations/PR. After this exciting station, I continued with my second and final block of school and my subsequent intermediate examination at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Frankfurt.

The accounting department in our company then continued my journey in practice. I was then able to combine the theoretical knowledge I had acquired at the Mediacampus with my time in the department. My time in Controlling continued with a focus on figures. There I gained an insight into all kinds of budget planning and was able to expand my Excel skills. Finally, I ended up in the Digital department, which in turn was divided into Marketing & Sales and Product Management. During this time, I was able to support the team with content planning and creation as well as product-specific tasks and was given a comprehensive overview of the marketing philosophy and technical aspects.


What was your absolute highlight during your time with us?

Definitely my participation at the Frankfurt Buchmesse! As trainees, we are scheduled to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair during our training period. During Frankfurter Buchmesse 2023, I was still in the editorial office at the time and was therefore allowed to act as an unofficial reporter at the FBM. I was able to choose which events I wanted to visit and take notes while I was there in order to create relevant content for articles in our industry magazine, Börsenblatt. I was also able to conduct a live interview for the very first time, which was totally exciting and a very formative experience.

What skills did you learn during your training that you didn't expect?

A slightly more unusual answer, but I can now successfully use the X-reference in Excel haha! I was also able to deepen my creative writing through the various times I wrote texts. This experience is proving to be quite beneficial and valuable to me as I would like to write a book myself in the future.

After your apprenticeship, you are now starting in our customer service department - what are you particularly looking forward to here?

I am particularly looking forward to my new area of responsibility and also to getting to know working life in our company with my trainee glasses off. Moving through the various departments proved to be very formative and meaningful, but now it's nice to have arrived at a permanent position. And I'm particularly looking forward to the great customer service team, who gave me a pleasant and caring start as the first station at the beginning of my training! 😊

And finally - do you have three tips for anyone who wants to start this apprenticeship?

My first tip to everyone would be to have a good thirst for knowledge of the book industry. You'll get to know the industry in depth from all different angles and that proves to be extremely rewarding if you already have a certain amount of prior interest. The second tip is to be open and receptive! The preliminary assessment and the thought of finding the right apprenticeship for you can be quite nerve-wracking and associated with possible uncertainty. But if you've already won tip one, then you have nothing to lose by training at MVB and also great prospects after successfully completing your training. And my last tip is: make enough space for new books within your own four walls! I speak from experience when I say that you can't avoid leaving the Media Campus, the Frankfurt Book Fair and even the company with new acquisitions on some working days 😉.


By the way: We will be offering apprenticeships again on 1st August 2025.

More Insights into Training:

• Training at MVB: The Path to Becoming a Digital and Print Media Specialist
  
• From Marketing to World Literature: Olivia's School Days at Mediacampus