Work Placement Blog by James Martin
21st July 2017 (Made In Corby has since been renamed Made With Many)
My first thoughts
For the past fortnight, I have been lucky enough to acquire a work placement at Made In Corby. This placement was to aid me with my degree of Advertising and Digital Marketing. I initially thought I would be learning the same skills everyone does at marketing placements: social media skills, copywriting, and so on. However, I learned so much more than that. I was surprised by the passion and motivation every person had within the town – especially my colleagues. Corby felt so alive and everyone was so eager to improve the town; It was an honour to be a part of the unique community here and one I never will forget.
What I learned
What made my work placement special was that the skills, knowledge and experience I gained. These are skills could not have been gained in a class room. I had such a range of activities to undertake in just two weeks that it is almost unbelievable how much I have learned in such a short space of time – I just wish I could have stayed longer! Furthermore, activities I once felt uncertain about, such as networking, I now feel so much more confident in those environments. So much so, that I am excited to do it again.
Some of the skills I learned were: social media management – where I created and advertised events around Corby, created posters for local businesses (my favourite task), wrote copy for blogs, events, newsletters, attended focus groups, gave marketing support, and idea generation for events. Those are just some of the tasks that I need to add onto my CV after finishing this placement! The participation in a range of different meetings was a great experience. One day I was in the Love Corby meeting at the Best Western Hotel filled with business people. The next day I am participating in a focus group at Swan Gardens Sheltered Housing.
The range of activities I have been part of has exceeded my expectations; I feel like I have learned just as much in these two weeks as I would have learned in a whole summer. The best part about this work placement is that I now feel more motivated than ever to finish my degree, and extremely enthusiastic about starting my career in Marketing.
Thank you, Marian and Helen for making my time working at Made In Corby my favourite and most enjoyable working experience ever.
Job Opportunities
I am currently seeking advertising and marketing work placements within Northamptonshire. I would love to be involved in any opportunities anyone has to offer.
Lastly, Made In Corby will be offering job opportunities like mine in the future. Whether you need an apprenticeship or internship, sign up to the Made in Corby mailing list to hear about future job opportunities.
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