Students join Lincoln BIG to make a difference in the city, now and in the future

Lincoln Business Improvement Group (BIG) took on two students from the University of Lincoln to complete a 2-week placement with the organisation.

This involved working on various projects such as social media campaigns, video production, e-newsletters, design and more.

Jenny Damp, a University of Lincoln alumni and Lincoln BIG’s Marketing and Communications Executive, worked closely with the students to ensure they had the support they needed.

Jenny commented: “placement opportunities like this are important to show students what a career in their particular field looks like. This can help them know if they’re on the right path, and what their preferences are.”

Maisie Wylds, a Media Production student, shared: “I was interested in a placement with Lincoln BIG because I’d noticed the work the company had done within the city and there were multiple events that I had attended and enjoyed very much in the past. I love the meaning behind the company, that they want to help grow businesses and the city as a whole and I am grateful I was able to play some role within that.”

Throughout the placement, Maisie was able to broaden her skills in a professional setting, not only having to reach her own standards, but also to the standards of the company. Maisie completed multiple tasks, including creating e-newsletters, reels and designs for upcoming Lincoln BIG projects. Maisie added “I enjoyed every task I was set and the environment I was put in!”.

Meanwhile, Oliver Townsend, a Film Production student, worked extremely hard over the two weeks to complete a short video promoting Lincoln BIG, and the work the company does in the city. The video can be found here which will be used across Lincoln BIG’s social media channels, website and digital marketing materials.

Oliver shared “I was interested in the placement at Lincoln BIG because it was a business that I’d heard of, but never realised exactly how many things they do around the city so I thought it would be a really exciting business to work with!”.

Whilst Oliver had experience working with video production, he commented “this particular brief interested me as although it was a type of project I’ve worked on before, I felt there was so much room to grow, improve and become more efficient and the project with Lincoln BIG seemed like the perfect place to do this!”.

Oliver added, “throughout the placement, I’ve really enjoyed filming around the city and meeting so many people in each of the businesses, they were all friendly and great to work with. I’ve also enjoyed working in an office environment and having access to easy feedback and information when editing”.

Jenny went on to say, “I thoroughly enjoyed working with both Maisie and Oliver. Whilst they were only with us for 2-weeks, I’m pleased with what they created and wish them the best of luck in their future careers.”

Going forward, Lincoln BIG hope to continue working with the University of Lincoln and the students to help them gain an insight into the working environment and provide meaningful projects that can benefit both the students, and the company. It’s important to help the younger generation learn the required skills that set them apart from others and it’s essential that businesses, like Lincoln BIG, provide these opportunities so that they can increase their employability and develop key skills like communication, confidence and problem solving.