A taste of real work

Billingshurst based full-service marketing agency, PMW Communications, allows students to have a taste of real work, working on real projects so they actually get to use their brains and show what they can do.

Peter Sutton, PMW’s Managing Director said:“What’s the point of work experience if the students aren’t going to learn anything.

“We want those that visit us to want to come in every morning full of ideas and ready to get stuck in.”

Recently, Year 10 students from Tanbridge House School, Tiarnan Butcher, Christopher Sutton and Ben Squires, spent a week at PMW working as a team on a real project for Horsham based, and PMW client, Arthur Lodge Veterinary Group.

The students held a meeting with Julian Peters, owner of the surgery, to discuss the project and go through what was needed.

The new ‘PMW team’ then went away and worked with team PMW to create a launch campaign for the veterinary group’s new surgery which is set to open in Warnham later this year to which Julian commented: “I was delighted to come in to give the boys a brief and I was thoroughly impressed with what they came up with.

“They were really competent and it was fantastic to see them present all of their ideas.”

Peter added: “This is typical of what students visiting us experience.

“As a full service agency the students will get to work across every department, so one day they could be writing and helping to produce a radio advert, another they are working with our in house designers to create a print advert, the next they’re designing a website, then finally they are in our PR department writing and distributing press releases, before presenting their work at the end of the week.”

Jo Dulieu, who is a Year 13 pupil at Tanbridge House and completed a placement at PMW said about her time: “My work experience with PMW was really productive in every way.

“I remember getting straight into working and being allowed to do a lot, which I wasn’t expecting! For the whole week I was working at PMW, I tried so many different things, including project management, computer design and presenting my work.

“The variation of every day made it really exciting to come in and work.”

Jo continued: “Probably the best aspect of the work experience was that we were set a task, almost a simulation of what the company does for businesses, and we were able to present our final product.

“We came up with a new marketing and PR strategy for Tanbridge House School, which we presented to our Head Teacher, amongst others, at the end of the week. This final outcome made the work experience feel really worthwhile, and provided a great insight into the business.”

Peter Sutton concluded: “We hope that the students that come to us get a real buzz from the creativity that runs through PMW. 
“We all love our jobs and if we inspire the students to follow a marketing/media related career, all the better.”

PMW is happy to accept work experience students throughout the year. Please contact Tracie Carter on 01403 783400 for further information.

Pictured here is Peter Sutton from PMW with Tiarnan Butcher, Christopher Sutton, Ben Squires from Tanbridge and Julian Peters from Arthur Lodge Veterinary Group.