University News Last updated 14 April 2010
Talented visual communication students at Birmingham City University are being given the opportunity to work on real life projects after scooping awards in regional creative talent competition, B-Hive.
Alex Budau and Mandy Wong were the overall winners in the Advertising and Digital categories. And fellow students Imran Khan, Stephen Malcolm, James Hudson and Mathew Dunn also won paid work experience placements at the region’s top marketing and creative agencies. Between them the six students have secured almost 40 weeks work experience.
Set up in 2009, B-Hive initiative is organised by Pitch Consultants and Marketing Birmingham and is designed to give students from the City’s universities the opportunity of winning paid work experience in four categories; PR, graphic design, web design and marketing.
Over the past three months, the students were challenged to respond to a brief to make Birmingham a greener city. All the students then presented their ideas to a panel of leading industry judges.
Mandy Wong, winner of the Digital category, said: “I was delighted to win - 14 weeks paid work placements at seven agencies will give me invaluable experience. I can't wait to start!
“I'm very grateful for this opportunity, I think the B-Hive scheme is great and recommend people to get involved next year.”
Ros Sinclair, Lecturer in Advertising and Branding at Birmingham City University, was delighted with students’ success. She said: “Our success at B-Hive has meant that we have forged closer links with Birmingham's Advertising and Marketing Industry and several agencies have now agreed to give their support to the course. Hopefully more students will benefit from this link in future.”
Ends
Picture caption: B-Hive winners pictured with Ollie Purdom and Rob Markwell from Pitch Consultants and Emma Gray from Marketing Birmingham.
Issued by Birmingham City University Media Relations Office.
Tel: 0121 331 6738
Email press@bcu.ac.uk
Out-of-hours: 07967 271 532