Inspiring Futures engages students in live consultancy projects, which allow them to explore business skills and professional behaviours.
Plymouth Business School student, Ben Pridham, undertook a live consultancy project in both his first and final years at the University of Plymouth. Both the projects were focussed on marketing and, due to the nature of the businesses, he gained two diverse experiences of marketing within hospitality and corporate events.
“Working to timescales and deadlines to get work across to the client, to get feedback, gets you into the environment where you have to work in the way you do when you are in a professional environment.”
Ben Pridham, Plymouth Business School graduate
What has Ben gained from working within industry?
- Developing key written and verbal communication skills.
- An in-depth understanding of the importance of teamwork in a professional role, including learning to delegate tasks based on each team member’s strengths and weaknesses.
- Working to deadlines given by the businesses provided an opportunity to develop time management skills.
Personal and professional growth
Through working slightly outside of his comfort zone, Ben was able to develop his confidence in both a personal and professional capacity through his business engagement experiences at Plymouth. Ben’s involvement in live consultancy projects during his degree, gave him the confidence to communicate with clients and Ben has subsequently had an exciting career working with businesses, including a local football club.
“Speaking to businesses or people in general was still quite daunting, so building my confidence and speaking to organisations as part of the projects helped. I’m now happy to speak to other football clubs to see what they’re doing. Prior to the consultancy projects, I didn’t have any experience in talking to clients, so it’s really helped me.”
Finding solutions to challenges in a supportive environment
Ben had to work collaboratively with his teammates in order to find new and innovative ways to market events with no budget, including using social media and email campaigns. As a result, Ben has gained crucial industry experience of managing a project to a high standard, which is key for working with different businesses in a range of financial situations.
“I didn’t really have much experience other than one placement before the consultancy projects, so I was able to reference what I had done whilst I was at university, how I worked with businesses, gaining an insight into how they work and operate. It’s definitely helped with my applications.”