Choosing to study BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing Management at Cardiff Met has by far been one of the best decisions I’ve made in life! From a young age I have always been fascinated and inspired by the world of fashion.
I started studying Marketing and Business at UWE in Bristol but soon realised that the course wasn’t for me. I struggled with the idea of what to do but being from Cardiff myself I knew that I wanted to stay in this exciting and friendly city. When I discovered that Cardiff Met were launching BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing Management I just knew that I had to apply and that a course like that was made for me!
Someone once told me that if you’re passionate about something you’ll never have to work a day in your life – and to me this is so true! Learning about the fashion world and how a brand’s business operates and communicates made every assignment different and interesting. I have learned so much from the lecturers especially the course leader, Jemma, who is passionate about what she teaches and has first-hand industry experience. We also got to visit some pretty cool places including Milan, London and New York!
The course has always encouraged work experience to help us get work experience and placements. I considered applying to fashion brands in London for internships, but being from Wales I wanted to contribute to something that wouldn’t get the attention other companies would. I reached out to Ty Hafan – the hospice that cares for children with life-limiting conditions – to ask whether they would consider taking me on as a Marketing and PR intern and they were thrilled that someone wanted to help them!
The work that Ty Hafan put in to help such a great cause is astonishing. Every staff member is so friendly and helpful and it really puts it all into perspective with the hospice being next to the Head Office – you’re working to support these children with life-limiting conditions and their families. My role as a Marketing volunteer is to assist the Marketing and PR department who generate all of the charity communications to the public including social media, online content and press releases.
Hopefully my knowledge developed on my degree has helped the charity to reach some of their goals. I have learned a lot and gained valuable experience from creating social media content, writing press releases, contributing to the blog for the website and conducting market research. For me the most incredible thing was being able to contribute towards long-term future projects for Ty Hafan through rebranding the charity and giving these incredible strong families a voice and for the public to hear their stories.
I have been able to apply the theory I’ve learned from my degree at Cardiff Met into work and also apply the skills I’ve developed on my internship into my studies. If anyone is considering doing a work placement I couldn’t recommend it more!
This internship has really helped me to discover what it is that I want to do after University which has helped me massively when applying for the sort of role I aspire to. My dream is to make it in PR for a fashion brand and travel the world!
