Students have designs on world of work

Lancaster University students have gained valuable work experience with a Lancaster-based design agency.

Five students worked with The Rehab Agency - a creative design agency based in Lancaster City Centre - on a project to attract new clients to the business.

The students gained job-winning skills and experience working with the creative design team at Rehab on quirky marketing campaigns targeting new clients.

The placement, which was spread over two academic terms, was organised by the Lancaster University Students’ Union project Create Experience. This was set up to give students work experience that would make them stand out to potential employers.

Dhruv Jouhari, one of the students on the placement, said he was impressed with Create Experience and the skills he had picked up.

He said: “Create made life really easy by setting up interviews. Time management and group co-operation were probably the most prominent skills I learnt.

“The Rehab Agency made us feel important and we felt they really could use our input, something not many companies do with students.”

Lyndsey Sterritt, Create Experience Coordinator, said: “The team has worked hard over the past few months and now the project has drawn to a close they can see it has been worth it. Their CVs are full of skills and experience that employers look for; practical experience of working on a project, communication, teamwork, planning and leadership skills. Create Experience strives to find placements that will give student teams real responsibility and will also add real value to the organisation which they are working for.”

Create is a project of the Lancaster University Students' Union which was launched in September 2005. It has two branches - Create Start Up which helps students set up businesses and Create Experience, which gives students the chance to gain work experience on projects which they themselves have to manage.

To find out more about Create go to www.create.lancs.ac.uk.