Bristol-based public relations and communications agency Purplefish has just announced its summer internship programme for students in the Bristol area.
Purplefish started as a freelance business in 2010 and, after a fast-initial growth phase, was incorporated in 2012. The now 11-strong agency offers full-service communications services including public relations and social media, video and content, events and experiential and strategic issues consultancy.
The creative agency is running two internship schemes with the University of Bristol, which will commence in June and July this year. It will also be opening applications to students from the University of the West of England when the scheme is available. These internships allow students to expand on their skills and contribute to day-to-day activities in the business.
Students will be part of a team that is responsible for the execution and implementation of social media and messages for client campaigns, helping develop monthly plans and research for public relations stories for the media as well as supporting on the planning local events. In the past this has included St Pauls Carnival and this year Purplefish is working with the Bristol Light Festival.
Jonathan Adams, account executive at Purplefish, joined the team as an intern last July and after showcasing his desire to work in the creative industries, he was offered a permanent position.
When asked about his internship, Jonathan said: “I found Purplefish’s internship programme a great entry point into the world of public relations.
“The team is insightful, supportive and throughout my time at Purplefish I have learnt so much. While completing my internship last July I helped the team organise events, create strategic plans and had the opportunity to interact with media outlets to maximise exposure for Purplefish’s clients”
Joanna Randall, managing director at Purplefish, said: “Nurturing talent of the future is something we’re committed to. We have been running our summer internship programme for five years now, I encourage any student or recent graduate who is interested in public relations to apply.
“At Purplefish we believe that gaining first-hand experience and understanding of the industry is invaluable for people pursuing a career in this sector.”
The internships span three one-month periods and are available to current students or recent graduates from University of Bristol and the University of the West of England (when applications open).
To apply for the University of Bristol internships please log into the university’s engage portal, or click one of the links below:
University of Bristol – Internship One (June): https://engage.bristol.ac.uk/Admin/Login/?ReturnUrl=%2fadmin%2fJob.aspx%3fid%3d508022
University of Bristol – Internship Two (July): https://engage.bristol.ac.uk/Admin/Login/?ReturnUrl=%2fadmin%2fJob.aspx%3fid%3d508109
University of the West of England – Internship Three (August): TBC
Margaret was among the 30 speakers who spoke at Bristol Media’s 2016 Vision conference, and we’re thrilled to welcome her back for another insightful event. Whether you’re an aspiring leader, an ambitious manager, or have directed teams for decades, join us and Margaret Heffernan for the Vision Keynote: Why is Leadership so Difficult?
Leadership in today’s age is becoming increasingly difficult due a range of causes from the rate of change, generational differences and a shift in social mores to name but a few. The reality is more subtle. The environment in which we operate is now full of ineradicable uncertainties, which in turn, has caused the traditional 3-legged stool of management – forecast, plan, execute – to lose its first leg. Forecasters are now wary of anything more than 400 days out, so kiss goodbye to your 5-year plan and embrace modern leadership.
So, in an age replete with ambiguity and uncertainty, is leadership even possible? If so, what does it look like?
These questions will be explored during Heffernan’s keynote, where she will share her invaluable knowledge on modern leadership in a session not to be missed.
Join Bristol Media and Margaret Heffernan on Tuesday 22nd October (12.30 – 14.15) at Foot Anstey, 2 Glass Wharf, Bristol BS2 0FR.
Tickets are £40 for Bristol Media members, £60 for non-members and include a networking lunch. A limited number of £10 tickets are available for Bristol Media freelance members.
Dr. Margaret Heffernan produced programmes for the BBC for 13 years. She moved to the US where she spearheaded multimedia productions for Intuit, The Learning Company and Standard&Poors. She was Chief Executive of InfoMation Corporation, ZineZone Corporation and then iCast Corporation, was named one of the “Top 25” by Streaming Media magazine and one of the “Top 100 Media Executives” by The Hollywood Reporter.
The author of five books, Margaret’s third book, Wilful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at our Peril was named one of the most important business books of the decade by the Financial Times. Her TED talks have been seen by over nine million people and in 2015 TED published Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes. She is Lead Faculty for the Forward Institute’s Responsible Leadership Programme and, through Merryck & Co., mentors CEOs and senior executives of major global organisations. She holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Bath and continues to write for the Financial Times and the Huffington Post.
Matt Joy has joined the Mr B & Friends team as a Brand Producer. The role spans client services, client consulting and seamless project management across complex brand strategy projects.
Matt was previously Head of Marketing at Bristol Sport, and had worked alongside the agency as a key client contact on the Bristol Bears and Bristol City Football Club rebrand projects. With a decade of experience in commercial marketing, Matt was keen to make the transition to agency-side and having been won over by the Mr B & Friends way of working couldn’t wait to make the leap.
Matt says, “I’ve always been passionate about testing myself and developing my knowledge in the agency side of marketing and had been really impressed by the Mr B & Friends team and their approach to brand projects as a client. When I was presented with the opportunity to join the team, it was the perfect time to take on this new and exciting challenge”
Outside of work Matt’s life is about to change dramatically with the imminent arrival of his first baby. Baby preparation aside, Matt enjoys playing (or trying to play) golf and exploring the wonderful city of Bristol, enjoying the many restaurants and bars on offer, whilst also keeping a close eye on all things Bristol Bears.
Simon Barbato, CEO of Mr B & Friends, says, “We’re delighted to welcome Matt to the team. Having already known him for a while we’re confident that he’s a great fit for the company. He brings with him significant marketing experience in one of our key verticals and will be able to offer a unique client perspective to our projects.”
According to Business West’s Business Skills and Training Survey 2017, 64.9% of businesses in the West of England have never hired an apprentice, with lack of time cited as the main reason.
Yet with 96% of companies who take on an apprentice reporting benefits to their business (National Apprenticeship Service), organisations who do not consider this option when hiring or developing staff could be missing out.
Read on to find out more about some of the key benefits to employers of hiring an apprentice:
Increased Productivity
An astonishing 72% of businesses report improved productivity as a result of employing an apprentice, according to the National Apprenticeship Service. Having an extra pair of hands on the team means more tasks can get completed and you may even have time to explore projects or carry out research that you would not have previously been able to do. Although there can be time spent assisting an apprentice, the increased overall productivity can outweigh this.
Increased Revenue
On the back of this, increased productivity usually means an upturn in revenue and profit. The National Apprenticeship Service claims that the average person completing an apprenticeship increases productivity by £214 per week, so what’s not to like about that?
Lower Staff Turnover
Apprentices are often loyal to the company in which they gained their training and qualifications, with The National Apprenticeship Service reporting that 71% stay with the same employers once they finish their apprenticeship. They recognise that you have invested time and money into training them up in a particular skill, and at the same time will feel integrated into your organisation so will repay that with loyalty, resulting in a lower staff turnover and in turn, less money spent on recruitment.
Fix Skills Gaps
Taking on an apprentice within your company means that you can teach them the specific skills you need as a business. Working with a training provider, you can also use apprenticeships to upskill your existing staff where you feel it is needed most, so whilst technology advances and different skills are needed, you can protect your company from skills gaps that could have a negative impact in the long run.
Revitalise Your Business
Apprentices often come into an organisation with a fresh perspective, as well as bags of enthusiasm and energy. This can have a positive effect on your existing staff too, who may enjoy having someone with new ideas join the team. A positive workforce are more likely to perform better as well, so really it’s a win-win for you.
Build Your Brand
Apprenticeships are big news and are becoming a more popular recruitment method across all industries. Any organisation that has an apprenticeship scheme is likely to be seen as a business that is forward thinking and likes to invest in their staff, and that is attractive to anyone, whether they’re looking for a new role, or great company to work.
Apprenticeships can benefit any size of business, whether you’re a large corporate, SME or start up. Need more advice and information on where to start? Why not get in touch with the Skills Team at Business West who can let you know the best next steps to take. You can email them or call 0330 124 4446.
We’re delighted that Blair Enns will be back in Bristol in January 2019 to deliver a one-day workshop.
About the Workshop
‘Mastering The Value Conversation: Making Value-Based Pricing Real’ is a one-day workshop designed to help creative professionals increase their prices and their impact on their clients’ businesses through a shift to value-based engagements and pricing. The hands-on, exercise-driven workshop combines pricing theory with facilitator Blair Enns’ Win Without Pitching approach to new business development to deliver a unique learning experience designed to lead to immediate pricing wins.
“You cannot be an effective pricer if you study pricing alone and eschew some of the complementary skills of selling and negotiating,” says Enns, author of Pricing Creativity: A Guide to Profit Beyond the Billable Hour. The barrier to pricing success in the creative professions, he says, is not knowledge but skill. “You can intake most of what you need to know about pricing in about 90 minutes,” says Enns. “Then you need to apply it firsthand and practice having the conversations.”
Pricing Knowledge + Selling Skills = Value-Based Pricing Success
This workshop is relevant to any creative or marketing firm professional with P&L responsibility or the authority to set or negotiate price.
You will learn:
What better way to kick off 2019 than by mastering the value conversation within the first couple of weeks of the year!
This workshop will take place on Tuesday 15th January in the beautiful new offices of one of our Approved Legal Suppliers, Foot Anstey, 2 Glass Wharf, Bristol BS2 0FR and is priced at £595+VAT for Bristol Media members and £795+VAT for non-members. Email [email protected] to book your place. A 50% deposit will be taken at the time of booking with the balance payable by 8th January 2019.
About Blair Enns
Blair Enns is on a mission to change the way creative services are bought and sold the world over. He is the founder and CEO of Win Without Pitching, the sales training and coaching organisation for creative professionals, and the author of two books on selling and pricing for creative professionals. He is the cohost, along with David C. Baker, of 2Bobs, the podcast on creative entrepreneurship.
Blair lives in Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada and lectures throughout the world. He has spoken to dozens of conferences and organisations on five continents.
You need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information