BA Business Studies launches alumni panel of successful graduates

BU’s Business School has launched an alumni panel of highly successful BA (Hons) Business Studies graduates.

The aim of the panel is to develop and strengthen the Business Studies course by sharing industry experience and trends with students and academic staff.

The panel consists of eleven alumni who graduated between 1989 and 2013.

They recently joined current second year students at their Pre Placement Seminar to share their experience of the world of work, and give advice to students about how to make the most out of their placements.

After the seminar, the panel met with academic staff to talk about industry trends and the skills graduates need to be successful in the workplace.

One of the Alumni panel, Holly Bathurst from Siemens, said: “I thought it was a great start to something extremely positive for the Business School and it will be interesting to see how it shapes both the students learning and their engagement with the working world!”

Gbola Gbadamosi, the Framework leader for the Business Studies course, added: “This panel and the event is a refreshingly alternative that represents a win for all stakeholders.

“For students, it provides a rare opportunity to engage with both recent and long standing alumni. For staff, to rekindle their industry engagement, reconnect with industry trends and catch up with the progress of their former students.

“For the alumni, they were able to reconnect with their peers, older and younger alumni and give back to their university.”

Comedian Phill Jupitus shares tips & advice with BU media students

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Comedian Phill Jupitus was at Bournemouth University to share his experiences of the media industry and give advice to students.

Phill – a comedian, presenter, actor and poet – is well known for his work on TV panel shows like Never Mind the Buzzcocks and QI and as a breakfast DJ on BBC 6 Music.  where he worked with Jo Tyler, who is now a Lecturer in Radio Production at BU.

Phill spoke during an interactive event, where students from across BU’s Media School asked questions via email and social media, as well as in person – covering everything from his career ambitions and achievements to how technology is changing the industry.

Phill said: “The fact that you can get yourself out there and have control over what you put out there is positive.

“Anyone can get stuff out there now, people can make shows and build their careers off posting You Tube clips.

“I think podcasting is amazing. It’s a fantastic way – especially if you want to go into radio – of playing around with ideas and learning how to put things together.

He added, however, that: “the negative is that it’s a time of immense confusion…It’s an ever-changing world and I don’t envy you for having to deal with that.”

His advice for students wanting to go into the industry included remaining passionate about their area of interest, making good connections with commissioners and developing a thick skin.

“There’s an awful lot of luck involved but you do need to have a thick skin and immense determination,” he said.

“I think a lot of it is about developing relationships with the commissioners – just watch TV and have a look at what they want in terms of content.”

He added: “Keep on top of the industry – if you want to be in it, you have got to know it. You have to be a bit of a nerd about whatever it is you’re going into.

“The people that you work for can see how much you genuinely care about an idea.”

Jo Tyler, a Lecturer in Radio Production at BU, has worked with Phill on a number of projects, and used to produce his breakfast show on BBC 6 Music.

She said: “Having worked with Phill over some parts of his broad career, it is a pleasure to have him in person to speak directly to students about cross platform working and the future of a career in media.

“We used a more interactive Q & A format to allow students to lead the event. Phill has in many ways become a media mentor for BU, providing professional advice linked to producing, childrens’ TV, music, radio and poetry.”

BIRST – the online radio station run by BU’s MA Radio Production students – will feature a programme about the Q & A with an exclusive interview with Phill and recordings of his performance as a special guest at the Freeway Poets event at The Winchester Pub.

To find out more, visit the BIRST website.

 

BU Journalism graduate named NCTJ’s Alumni of the Month

A recent journalism graduate from Bournemouth University has been named as an industry body’s Alumni of the Month.

Rachel Bartlett completed the BA (Hons) Multimedia Journalism degree at BU in 2010, and is now editor of journalism.co.uk, a popular site for journalism news, innovation and resources.

She was chosen as the National Council for the Training of Journalists’ (NCTJ) Alumna of the Month for March and was profiled on the industry body’s website, talking about the course and her career.

Rachel told the site that she chose to study Multimedia Journalism at BU as she wanted to gain a broad range of skills, as well as the opportunity to take the NCTJ preliminary journalism exams.

My decision was driven by the fact that I was keen to ensure I entered the industry with a range of skills across media platforms, including newspapers, magazines, television, radio and online, and the ability to study for, and take, her NCTJ exams at the same time,” she said.

“I went to university fairly open-minded about what area of the industry I wanted to go into, and the variety of the course helped guide me in terms of which areas I was most interested in.”

She added that gaining industry experience while studying was vital, as was learning shorthand – despite the wealth of digital technology available.

“While passing the NCTJ arguably helps to demonstrate that you can reach certain standards in your reporting, I would also stress the huge importance of also gaining real industry experience, being able to demonstrate a proactive attitude in finding original, relevant stories, and show some digital prowess and awareness of the different ways people are finding and consuming journalism today.”

Read Rachel’s interview in full on the NCTJ website

Marketing multi-award pathway gets thumbs up from BU students

A total of 114 BU students have signed up for The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Introductory Certificate in Marketing programme, which is currently one of the single largest cohorts studying for this qualification in the UK.

The launch of the programme follows the award of Multi Award Pathway (MAP) status by CIM earlier in the year to three of Bournemouth University’s degree courses; BA (Hons) Marketing Communications, BA (Hons) Advertising and BSc (Hons) Marketing degrees.

The programme offers students the opportunity to achieve CIM’s professional qualification, the Introductory Certificate, during the current academic year. Successful students will receive their award in the summer of 2014.

The programme has already met with a favourable reaction from students.

“I’m really keen to get the CIM qualification, as it will enhance my CV and help me get a great placement next year,” said Ben Ridsdale, first year BA (Hons) Marketing Communications student.

Students are already updating their CVs to include their participation in the MAP study programme and give themselves an edge in seeking placement interviews.

The programme was launched by Graham Goode, senior lecturer at Bournemouth University with support from CIM’s network managers; Emma Neale and Christine Boswell-Munday.

Graham, a senior lecturer in marketing communications, said: “The strong take-up from BU Marketing and Advertising students demonstrates the benefits of additional practice-focussed learning, obtained from studying for recognised professional qualifications alongside what are good academic degree programmes.

“Students see this value-added opportunity as a first step in engagement with their discipline’s professional body, CIM, and a way to enhance their future employment and placement prospects”.

The programme will be evaluated during the coming year to determine what shape it should take for 2014/2015. The evaluation will assess the potential for additional study programmes on higher level CIM qualifications, where students now hold exemptions under the MAP award.

NCTJ conference hosted at Bournemouth University

Bournemouth University Media School academics were joined by a host of journalists, guests and peers for this year’s National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Conference.

The conference, hosted at BU, brought about thought provoking discussion around the culture of journalism in a Post-Leveson climate and the sorts of skills that journalism graduates need in a multimedia, digital newsroom.

Stephen Jukes, Dean of BU’s Media School, said, “We are hugely proud of our NCTJ connections and the performance of our students in those exams every year.

“This is a really exciting time to be studying journalism, a really pivotal time where we have either seen the end of 300 years of free press or we are seeing the start of a re-evaluation of the practices of journalism and purge of some of the darker styles of the tabloid trade.”

John Ryley, Head of Sky News, gave the opening address to the conference and said, “All  the technology in the world counts for nothing without that essential element – good journalism.

“I believe that journalism can, and indeed should be, a force for good by shining a light on those things that perhaps people would prefer to remain hidden.

“Training is what separates professional journalists from so-called citizen journalists. It should also instil a value of doing the right thing, and the rights and wrongs of good practice.”

A number of industry professionals also took to the stage to give their thoughts on the current UK media climate, including two Bournemouth University BA Multimedia Journalism graduates; Ollie Joy, who now works for CNN, and Rachel Bartlett, editor of journalism.co.uk.

Study Multimedia Journalism at BU!

Centre for Digital Entertainment has funding renewed

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The Centre for Digital Entertainment, jointly run by Bournemouth University and the University of Bath, has received funding for the next eight years.

The multi-million pound grant, from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), was announced today by the Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts.

It will fund another 50 doctoral students at the Centre for Digital Entertainment, which creates innovative funded research and development projects for the games, animation, VFX, simulation and cultural industries.

It embeds doctoral researchers into companies where they work on research and development projects, studying for an Engineering Doctorate while contributing positively to the industry in which they are working.

Professor Jian Jun Zhang, co-founder of The Centre for Digital Entertainment and Professor of Computer Graphics at BU, said: “I am thrilled to learn that our proposal to extend our Centre for Digital Entertainment has been funded by the EPSRC.

“Working with the University of Bath, this multimillion pound grant will allow us to produce another 50 doctoral students for the UK’s creative industry which urgently needs high-skilled people for this fast growing sector.

“We have already taken 50 students and have established strong relationships with more than 30 companies, including many world leading players, such as Sony, Electronic Arts and Double Negative.”

Students at the Centre for Digital Entertainment spend around 75 per cent of their time working in industry, where they are faced by the real problems experienced by professionals in the sector and contribute to the development of solutions.

“We forge a special three-way relationship by bringing together two world-class academic teams, a large number of world-class companies and top-quality doctoral students,” said Professor Zhang.

“Our mission is to develop next generation of technical leaders for the computer animation, games and visual effects industry.”

The funding from the EPSRC is part of £350 million that will be spent on postgraduate learning at Centres for Doctoral Training, focusing on key areas of engineering and the physical sciences that are vital to economic growth.

Science Minister David Willetts said: “I am particularly pleased to see strong partnerships between universities, industry and business among the new centres announced today.

“This type of collaboration is a key element of our industrial strategy and will continue to keep us at the forefront of the global science race.”

Find out more about the Centre for Digital Entertainment

Bryce Dyer to be honoured at British Science Festival

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Bryce Dyer, Senior Lecturer in Product Design at Bournemouth Univesity, has been selected for the prestigious honour of delivering an Award Lecture, at the 2013 British Science Festival, which will be taking place in Newcastle from 7-12 September.

Bryce Dyer will deliver the Isambard Kingdom Brunel Award Lecture, and joins the ranks of previous award lecturers such as Professor Brian Cox, Professor Richard Wiseman, and Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

Each year, five academics from across the UK are selected to take part in the Award Lecture series, with each lecture encompassing a different area of science.

The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Award focuses on the fields of engineering, technology and industry. Mr Dyer will present “Prosthesis, disability and the role of technology in elite sport”.

The lecture will reveal the colourful history of limb prostheses, and progress into how they have been engineered to not only complete, but also to compete in physical challenges today.

Mr Dyer will examine the controversy surrounding the use of such technology in competitive sport, following the debates off the back the London 2012 Games, and look at what could be done to address such problems in the future.

Finally, the lecture will examine how such technology attempts to restore the function of amputated limbs to people like elite athletes or the armed forces and ultimately how such innovations may change the face of both disability and sport as we currently recognise it in the very near future.

The British Science Festival is one of Europe’s largest celebrations of science, engineering and technology, with over 250 events, activities, exhibitions and trips taking place over a week in September, in a different location every year.

The programme of events offers something for everyone, with activities for families and schools groups, teens, adults, and stimulating debate for anyone interested in the latest research.

Mr Dyer said, “I am delighted to have this opportunity, and am looking forward to presenting this research. The British Science Festival is a unique opportunity to share scientific findings with the public, and it is an honour to be selected to give the Award Lecture.”