PKC Consulting

Had a great meeting with Amy and Nic today and a short meeting directly afterwards.  We asked all of the questions that arose during our analysis and has some great answers!  In the meeting directly aferwards, we discussed the idea of having an integrated scheme that rewards fundraisers with formal qualifications.  We think we can create a strategy that has a v. large ROI% with a low initial outlay while being highly attractive to students.  We’re really excited about the idea and we now have the challenge of properly communicating our ideas while meeting all of Save The Children’s goals.

To investigate the attitudes, experiences, motivations and goals of recently returning placement students, we undertook an interview with the University Of Hertfordshire’s placement officer Claire Crux.

Meeting with Claire Crux

(Placement Officer)

Attending:

Group Member  – Karim Alnakkash

Group Member  – John McGovern

Group Member  – Oliver Pryor

Placement Officer – Claire Crux

Good morning Claire, thank you for taking time to speak to us in relation to the attitudes of students when they return from their placement year. We have a few questions to ask you.

KA – What procedures did you go through to find out information on students attitudes and views when returning from placement?

CC  – I went through student portfolios and read through the areas where students were asked to fill in when describing how they felt their year went. Is that what you were looking for?

KA – Yes it was.

CC – I have found examples which you can use, however you will not be able to take these portfolios away. For example ‘ looking back over the year I have picked up general business skills, learnt how to motivate and lead a group of people, and wish that I had gone on a placement year earlier’ – So students are acknowledging the importance of the placement year’

Students highlighted the key skills such building up admistratative skills and knowledge which was something that was mentioned time and time again by students.

Also students stated they gained interpersonal skills and now understands the constraints of a formal working environment.  Students also mentioned how they increased their maturity and being able to take responsibility for things at work.

KA – Is this something you came across quite a lot?

CC – Absolutely yes, all of these, these kind of things they are talking about crop up time and time again. So this is not only what the students are saying, but this is the things that employers want also. Also the general learning about the business environment is something that can only be learned if you have had the experience.

KA – Would you say you have ever come across something where the student has come back from placement and is more motivated?

CC-Yes. We even get lecturers telling us that students they teach in the final year are more motivated, confident, more mature and have often improved their grades because they have real life experience to draw upon, where non placement don’t have. Also there are more hardcore skills such as students coming back with better I.T skills.

KA – Have you come across examples of students never experiencing and or witnessing being part of something larger

CC – Yes, definitely. It works 2 ways, for example a student being part of a small team and how it relates on a bigger scale and to the organisational on a bigger scale.

AK – That is relevant to us because if you were working for a charity and your part of something big you will recognize your contribution.

CC- Yes. Also students were using their initiative such as suggesting marketing techniques- more so in smaller companies than large businesses. Candidates should be organised, self motivated, take responsibility for their own workload. Is this what your looking for?

KA – Yes, we are trying to find out how to get people to volunteer for charities and trying to understand that by having an impact that a small effort is part of a big effort.

CC – A lot of the skills you are going to get working with a charity will have a long term affect when working for a large company.

KA- So, the skills you require to work for a charity you will learn those skills and there are the things companies are looking for.

CC- Yes.

JM – Have you got examples of charitable jobs?

CC- Yes, we have a job for the National trust. For examples they are looking for skills such as being customer focused, I.T literate, oral and presentation skills, creativity, self- motivation and good team work- this is a direct mirror to any of the large big blue corporations. So if you can go to a charity and attain all of these skills and build on them, and you move on to a non-charity organisation- then you are going to have those skills.

KA- So, a business ideally want students to have a blank canvas of a certain level of skills so they can build on from there?

CC- Yes

JM- Have you anyone who came back from placement that has carried out a charitable job? For example the National Trust?

CC-Is is difficult because it is a non-paid placement, so we don’t get many volunteers at all. It is a real struggle because we are asking people to work for a whole year with no money.  We have had examples of two students last year who worked unpaid in order to gain entry into the marketplace which gained them business skills and it shows real dedication to future employees. Does that help you at all?

KA- That’s exactly what we needed and hoped from you today. Thank you very much for the information you have given to us.

Managing Media and Communications- Group Meeting

Present: John McGovern Hirad Riazi Karim Alnakkash Luke Peckham

Antonio Spina Oliver Pryor

Date: 21^st February 2008 Time: 09.15 Location: LRC

Main Objective:

To ask STC relevant questions which can help us as a group to either push forward with the idea of the qualification or to perhaps think of an alternative plan. To write down notes of particular importance to aid us with the progression of the work.

Thought of further ways to use the Qualification certificate as an appeal to students.

– Targeting freshers?

– 2^nd years playing a part?

– Final years attaining the qualifications?

Managing Media and Communications- Group Meeting

Present: John McGovern Hirad Riazi Karim Alnakkash Luke Peckham

Antonio Spina Oliver Pryor

Date: 17^th February 2008 Location: House Time 2pm

Discussed:

-How everyone is finding their part of the context analysis.

-Aim to implement the analysis onto 1 document

Spoke of the reasons for and against the idea of the qualification idea

Agreed as a group that the qualification idea is the core idea

– Typed up transcript form meeting with Claire Crux (Placements Officer) on information on students attitudes coming back from placements. (added to website)

-Objectives for next meeting- have the context analysis fully completed and set out in a business like document

-Start to think of ways to incorporate the qualification idea- what can we do around that and make it more appealing?

Managing Media and Communications- Group Meeting

Present:    John McGovern      Hirad Riazi        Karim Alnakkash     Luke Peckham

Antonio Spina         Oliver Pryor

Date: 28^th January 2008          Time 12pm

Objective: Gather ideas together to move forward with the project.

–          Tackling the Analysis

Assigned every group member part of the analysis to complete and present to the group for the next group meeting.

–          Spoke about the importance of the IMC- Open Planning- tool to be used.

–          Potential questions to ask STC

1. What they are currently doing now
2. Objectives behind that
3. Budgets for each target group
4. Sign up/response rates
5. Mistakes made in the past- how have they learned?
6. What channels do they use?
7. Policies/ disclaimers
8. What problems they face with the target group of 18-25yr olds?

Early Ideas

-Qualification recognized given by University and seen as important from potential employers

-Celebrity campaign linking up with previous universities- link in with RAG week/ sponsored walk.

Awareness for our group

–          Set up website for STC viewing

–          Weekly blog

–          Business card for STC team

–          Use PKC Consulting as our group name.

Welcome to PKC consulting’s new blog.  We’ll use this page to share ideas, update clients on our progress and to showcase our talents.  Please leave a comment and let us know what you think.