2012
At Southampton Solent University, between years 2 and 3, students undertake a work placement to get some first hand experience of the industry; this opportunity allows students to put their newly learned skills into practice.
The placement is three weeks and allows students to have a taster of the industry and gain experience without intruding on their studies. By completing a three week placement, as opposed to a year, students can gain valuable skills. As they do not have to commit for an extended period, students can truly find which area they want to go into upon graduating. Students are also encouraged to use holidays productively, to boost their work experience profiles.
Below are some students, from the class of 2010, telling us about their experiences:
“My work placements were great, it offered the chance to see how the work we are doing in our course is relevant, how it fits in with 'real life' PR. I think the course provided me with the skills and knowledge to be able to really get involved with the work at my placements.”
Jo Torn – Freud Communications
“The work placements that I have carried out during the course have not only prepared me for working in the professional world but also motivated me to want to do well. They have brought PR to life so I understand more why I am studying certain units. By doing a few placements I now know which area of PR I want to go into which is really helpful.”
Laura Quick – BBC drama publicity department
“My placement at Volvo immediately demonstrated to me how varied PR can be, with no two days being the same in my three weeks. My valuable years studying at university supplied me with confidence and skills worthy to transfer into the workplace. PR at Solent provides me with the courage to become a professional in an ever expanding, exciting worldwide industry.”
Rachel Newby – Volvo
“My four months internship at Open2Europe, European Media Relations/Communication Agency (Paris), confirmed my ambitions for having a career in PR at an international level. I also had the opportunity to meet great people that became friends and "precious" contacts for the future. Now that I have a bunch of contacts in my "PR contacts Bible" and some work experience, I feel more confident about my future in the PR industry.”
King Houndekpinkou – Open2Europe
“I did placements with Comic Relief and the NHS and both were extremely insightful, providing me with invaluable experience and transferable skills. One thing in particular that I found was an incredibly useful skill to carry from the course into my placement, was the ability to write well. I felt really confident in writing media brochures, press releases and newsletter articles on my placement from doing similar things in assignments.”
Emma Lange – Comic Relief