This content requires the Adobe Flash Player.
Get Flash
16 Jul 2010 19:01
Internship means business for diversity
A paid internship for black and minority ethnic graduates, run by Northern Lights PR is helping regional business partners, including Hallmark and Northern Rail, to reach potential new customers from diverse communities.
The Harrogate consultancy is working in partnership with Bradford University School of Management, industry experts and businesses to give BAME graduates hands on experience of working in corporate communications and public relations – a sector where these communities have historically been underrepresented.
Jamie Burles, Commercial Director, Northern Rail said: “We are delighted to be involved with the Northern Lights’ internship and working with their interns on our Northern Ambassadors project. Their insight and ideas are valuable to ensure its success.
“We have worked closely with graduates on a number of projects in our business and remain committed to providing opportunities for them to apply their learning in a real work environment.”
During a packed three weeks, five interns attended a range of master classes led by industry experts covering media relations, press photography, social media in business and blogging.
Guest speakers included Saeeda Ahmed from social enterprise Trescom who led a Jobskills workshop, Karyn Fleeting from Tinderbox who ran a session on social media and Charlotte Renwick from Bradford University who spoke to the group about working as part of an in house PR team.
The five were also tasked by marketing and communications professionals to come up with creative ideas to encourage more use of the railways and a new range of greetings cards celebrating special occasions for different cultures.
Commenting on the internship experience, Gabriel St Aimee said: “The public require companies to communicate effectively with them and I hadn’t realised what a skill that is.
“Meeting so many people, from all walks of life and professional backgrounds, willing to share their expertise, has really opened my eyes to the possibilities for my own future.”
The five interns are, Gabriel St Aimee, Nafisa Shafiq, Shaeeb Tanwir, Liane Clarke and Mohammed Waheed. With degrees in a variety of subjects, including History and IT the extra skills and business experience offered by the internship has increased their career options.
Northern Lights plans to offer a similar internship for BME graduates in 2011
Notes to Editors:
For more information please contact Ruth Badley at Northern Lights PR, 01423 562 400
Business in the Community’s The Race for Opportunity report : Aspiration and Frustration 2010 is an in-depth survey of the attitudes of 1,500 people from all the main ethnic groups living in the UK, including white Britons. It investigates how different ethnic groups view their prospects of employment and promotion and that ethnic minorities living and working in Britain consider professions including banking, politics, law and journalism, as closed off to them.
To download a copy of this report, click here
For more information contact:
Northern Rail is the biggest train operator in Britain, providing 2,500 local and regional train services every day across the north of England, serving a population of nearly 15m. We are now carrying 85 million passengers a year, 34% more than when we started our franchise in December 2004. Northern Rail is operated in joint venture by Serco and Abellio (formerly NedRailways). This joint venture combines
Serco’s world-class service credentials and Abellio’s unrivalled transport industry expertise. Serco has run the highly successful Docklands Light Railway since 1997 while Abellio delivers bus and rail services to over 650,000 passengers in the UK, Germany and the Czech Republic every day. In addition to Northern Rail, Serco and Abellio have the 25-year concession for Merseyrail, which provides urban train services in Merseyside.
Recent Northern honours: Sir George Earle Trophy - RoSPA Awards 2009 (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) Rail Business of the Year and Train Operator of the Year – HSBC Rail Business Awards 2007 Public Transport Operator of the Year - National Transport Awards 2007 Winners – Example of Excellence in Rural Action, Business in the Community Awards 2007 Overall Winners - Community Rail Awards 2007.