Students at Birmingham City University are always offered marvellous opportunities to get involved with, including competitions, work placements and side projects, no matter what course they are currently studying.
The School of Media is one course in particular that has many brilliant opportunities for students. The highly regarded Skillset Media Academy has top of the range resources, and students are able to book out equipment and make use of these to undertake their own projects. Doing so can not only help them develop their skills as budding media professionals but they can also add this to their CV to make them more employable to companies.
Student placements available at the university are one of BCU’s main assets. The School of Media has close links to local and national media businesses, enabling students to secure top industry placements.
One opportunity the School of Media offers yearly is an invaluable scholarship at BSkyB in London. The scheme enables three lucky students to spend two weeks at the organisation with one ultimately winning a cash prize.
Talking of such incredible opportunities that are available to students, second year Media and Communications student Sarah Elhassine says: “The Media course at BCU is very diverse. It gives us amazing opportunities to work in the media industry, giving each individual hope for a brighter future and career prospects.”
Whilst studying at university, it is important for students to remember they aren’t just paying for the lecturer’s knowledge and seminars, but also the resources and equipment offered at the institution, which can in essence be used to the student’s benefit.
One student who utilises the equipment at the School of Media is Aaron Chawro, who offers his input about the course: “I think Birmingham City University is a really underrated university. We’re one of the best in the country for the course we are on (Media and Communications).”
Credit can also be given for those students getting involved with university projects such as Scratch Radio, Spaghetti Junction magazine and Tiger TV. Aaron helps out with Scratch radio every Wednesday morning for the breakfast show. “I currently work on the student radio station Scratch and the work that some students produce there is amazing and well into professional standards.”
Unfortunately, with the already high number of unemployed youth continuing to increase and the public sector recently shedding thousands of jobs, the battle for a job following university is as tough as ever. In a global recession, careers are even tougher to get hold of, and young people are bearing the brunt of the economic crisis as current statistics reveal that youth unemployment has remained above one million.
Aaron lends his thoughts on acquiring a future job in the media: "I feel that the job market in the media industry these days is based on the concept of who you know, not what you know. So when I find myself applying for work experience, I see that my course and experience may not count against someone who may know the radio station manager.”
However, taking part in competitions, placements and side projects are a must for university students, as when it comes to graduation, industries will be tough to break into with a high number of candidates battling it out for the same job. Therefore adding projects and work experience to your CV in addition to being qualified with a degree can help as it not only showcases your skills but by utilising these abilities, you appear even more attractive as an employee.
A recent survey discovered 72% of employers agreed volunteering placements can have a positive effect on an individual’s career progression, and almost half said those with work experience are more motivated than other candidates.
In courses away from the field of media, upcoming projects include a fashion show that is being organised to raise money for Help for Heroes. Seven Fashion Retail Management students from BCU have teamed up with hair stylists from Benjamin Ryan for ‘Fight for Fashion’. Featuring collections from independent British designers, the event will be held at the Great Western Arcade on 16 December from 7pm. The show is set to be one of the Midland’s biggest fashion events this year, showing what can be achieved amongst BCU students once they organise collaborations and demonstrate their skills with their hard work.
Placements, projects and competitions that students are able to take part in are highly beneficial in the long run, and should be considered by all students, no matter what degree they are currently taking or what career they ultimately aspire to.
No comments:
Post a Comment