Work placements

I have learned so much about the impact of social media and how it can be utilised successfully to promote businesses online. What I enjoyed the most was handling the Twitter account for a minor celebrity for the day, and using their platform to interact with some interesting people! Doing a placement has been an invaluable experience to add to my CV and has encouraged me to transfer my university skills into a workplace environment, which will benefit me greatly when I start working.

I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome from working with students from the School of English. I wanted to see if an online magazine was a viable addition to the business, from both a marketing and financial perspective. In short it was – the student devised and designed the magazine, wrote the articles and sold advertising space – bringing in 3% of turnover for the year. This pilot programme has now allowed me to develop the idea further and is a service we hope to roll out.

Claire Bicknell, Director

I really enjoyed my placement and learnt lots. I was impressed with the amount of responsibility I was given as it allowed me to really use my initiative. I’d highly recommend that students apply for the work placements; they are a fantastic way of enhancing existing skills and perfect for learning new ones that can be proudly  displayed on a CV.

Maria's tasks included:

• helping to improve the student experience by creating surveys to gain feedback

• proofreading and copywriting

• helping create the school's first student newsletter

Students of English bring adaptable, transferable skills that can be applied perfectly to our marketing activities.

Catherine Appleby, Invest in Nottingham

Emily Voice completed her placement with the international promotion agency of Nottingham City Council. Her tasks included:

• writing press releases

• conducting telephone interviews, then producing case studies based on these 

• developing marketing material

Following my placement, I now have better examples to back up the ‘problem solving skills’ hitherto advertised rather loosely on my CV. However, greater than these skills was the experience itself, which has benefitted me with a sense of the workplace, and also with a wider corporate awareness.

Mike Jennings

Mike's tasks included: 

• redesigning the CMS FAQ section of the Web Team website

• assisting with webpage design, including a new ‘Digital Team’ page

The placement aided my professional and academic career as well as being valuable on a personal level. It was a fantastic opportunity and I would be sure to recommend placements to any of my peers.

Hannah Whitt

Hannah worked with the DH Lawrence Heritage centre, helping to organise and promote it. She was also involved in the DH Lawrence festival, which attracts thousands of visitors every year. Her tasks included:

• researching audiences, interest groups and potential participants

• assisting at festival events, including setting up events and box office duties

Writing for a particular brief is something I've developed on the placement, but I learned how to write for a particular audience or purpose on my English degree.

Emily Heaton

Emily worked with New Perspectives Theatre Company, rebranding their Northants Touring Arts scheme. Her tasks included:

• researching, developing and creating a set of brand guidelines 

• developing a design brief for a selection of print materials

• producing an e-newsletter support document to be sent out to promoters, highlighting changes to the branding of NTA