From Siemens to seafood – Josh Morablanco on studying at Hull

At Hull, we pride ourselves on providing students with the opportunities they need to succeed in their careers after graduating from university.

It gives us enormous pleasure therefore, to hear from alumni who have progressed into roles at some of the UK’s biggest names in business.

One such student is Josh Morablanco, who since graduating from the BA Marketing course at the University of Hull, has landed a top job at one of the country’s biggest seafood suppliers.

Having grown up on the University’s doorstep in Cottingham, Josh is now Assistant Brand Manager at Young’s Seafood in Grimsby.

Here, Josh tells us a little about why he chose to study at Hull.

“I attended an open day and applicant day at Hull, and both of these meant I was able to experience the friendliness of the lecturers, the quality of the facilities and the breadth of opportunities and services available which far superseded many of the Universities I had visited,” he said.

HUBS Josh Morablanco at Siemens Gamesa 01

There has always been a misconception that I picked Hull because it was my local university - I visited a number of open days, was willing to move as far away as I needed to – but I have always been ambitious, wanting to pick the university which would allow me to succeed... and this was Hull."

HUBS Josh Morablanco and Sam Fenton at Siemens Gamesa 03

While studying for his degree, Josh spent time on placement at Siemens Gamesa’s wind turbine blade factory in Hull.

The placement provided him with first-hand experience of internal communications at one of the world’s biggest manufacturers.

Crucially, Josh was able to take part in a series of live projects – one of which saw him build a digital marketing strategy for Young’s Seafood, before pitching it to representatives from the seafood firm.

If it wasn’t for a live project I probably wouldn’t be at Young’s. The live projects throughout my degree allowed me to explore different business sectors and apply my knowledge in professional scenarios, projects that can be referred to in interviews and teach professional skills."

“From my Young’s project, we were given the task to build a digital marketing strategy that allowed us to explore new and upcoming digital marketing tactics, that when presented to Young’s impressed them and led to them approaching me to apply for a new role they had.”

Today, Josh is Assistant Brand Manager at Young’s Seafood.

The role sees Josh lead the company’s digital activity, from managing social media and planning communications strategies to supporting the Young’s brand.

“The way in which the University course was taught first provided the basic knowledge, and then the ways in which that knowledge could be applied were provided - that has allowed me to carry through the knowledge and apply it to the contexts in my workplace,” Josh said.

“The skills required to execute my workload has been ingrained into the course, and my placement meant I was able to build the professional experience that is allowing me to make an impact at Young’s.”

The experience and skills you can gain while studying at Hull go far beyond the boundaries of your course.

Josh said his time at Hull wasn’t just about learning, but about “growing as a person.”

In what ways do you think you've grown as a person from your time at Hull?

“The difference between first-year me and final-year me was huge.

“My confidence grew massively which meant I was comfortable presenting, working in groups, and taking the lead on projects.

“This came about from the support of the lecturers and staff, ensuring they got the best out of each student and creating an atmosphere where students could develop and build the skills required to succeed in the professional world.”

Josh also praised the work of the Centre for Professional Success within the Faculty of Business, Law and Politics in helping students achieve the best outcomes after leaving Hull.

“The Centre for Professional Success offered support in applying for jobs, preparing for interviews and making sure our CV was perfectly written.

“The support from the Centre for Professional Success meant my search for a placement during my studies and a graduate role felt so simple.

“Staff were focused on ensuring students had the best applications – so I would definitely recommend using the support available, it was so valuable in ensuring I was successful in applications,” he said.

Try BA Marketing for yourself

At Hull, you'll study the latest marketing concepts under expert staff who are passionate about their subject. Our aim is to inspire you to become a creative marketing professional who is both a customer and brand champion. You'll work on live projects with our business partners at every stage of this hands-on degree.

Find out more