Hull University Business School and performance marketing specialists Summit Media are celebrating 10 years of partnership working – a relationship that is boosting students’ employability in the burgeoning digital marketing industry.
The two organisations have been working closely together for a decade creating valuable student opportunities within the rapidly growing digital marketing field. Joining forces, the Business School and Summit Media – whose digital marketing expertise within the retail sector includes working with leading national and international brands such as Joules, The Range and Three – support students through placements, graduate opportunities and a range of masterclasses.
It’s estimated that up to 50 students and graduates have been directly supported through the initiative so far, with 20 graduates securing employment at the Hull-based agency. In fact, around a third of Summit’s entire workforce are University of Hull graduates.
Martin Corcoran CEO and Co-Owner Summit Media said: “Many of the people that work at Summit are developed and grown through the University of Hull. Our top talent are invariably Hull graduates, so it’s a formula we’re keen to keep going with.
“We like to think of ourselves as deeply entwined with the University and very much part of its community – this gives graduates and undergraduates a pathway to great jobs. Digital marketing is a burgeoning, future-proofed industry but there’s a lack of talent within the field, so our philosophy is work with the University to grow our future business leaders and we’ve done that to great success.”
It's a proven recruitment model for Summit Media, and one that also includes clear programmes of support and development for students on placement and graduates beginning their career at the agency. Vicky Barker, Senior Account Manager at Summit Media, credits the partnership with playing a big role in starting her digital marketing career.
Vicky completed a placement year at Summit Media as part of her degree at Hull University Business School and started working at the agency directly after graduating, progressing to her current senior role.
She said: “My degree helped me prepare for my career in so many ways including inspiring me to pursue the industry I work in now. It gave me a good framework for coming to work at Summit Media. I didn’t feel like I was starting from scratch, I felt like I had a good knowledge base to bring with me and I still draw upon that knowledge now.
Yvonne Morgan, Director of Hull University Business School, said: “Our partnership with Summit is an excellent example of our unique Authentic Business Learning approach which engages students with real business issues throughout their degree through activities such as placements, internships and live business projects. Our strong relationships with industry mean our students have fantastic opportunities to practice and develop real business skills and gain valuable work-based experience which enhances their pathway to a future career.”