Intertwined into every aspect of our offering as a creative agency, is the sincere passion for inspiring and empowering the next generation; especially when it comes to those learning in our local area.
This year, in collaboration with Student Careers Fairs in and around Congleton, representatives from the TMC Graduate Team devised an innovative student engagement campaign to share real world advice with those Sixth Form students ready to start planning their futures. The campaign centred on the concept of #FutureVision; a competition where those aged 16-18 were encouraged to submit a visual representation of their career aspirations.
Following some truly thought-provoking entries, we were delighted to welcome the chosen winner; Sophia to our Head Office in June on a student work experience week. Join her as she shares her thoughts on her time at TMC and how the love of the creative arts is now influencing her next steps.
#FutureVision
“My name is Sophia, and I am shortly going into my final year of Sixth Form at Congleton High School, studying Fine Art, Sociology and Psychology. I also happen to have completed two weeks of work experience at TMC earlier this summer!
When my Careers Advisor at school told me that TMC were running a competition to win a week’s work experience, I leapt at the opportunity as my main passions are art and design, and I knew TMC are involved in many different creative projects.
Safe to say I was thrilled when it was announced that I had won their ‘Share your #FutureVision’ competition!”
What did your two-week itinerary consist of?
“Prior to starting at TMC I had never completed work experience before, so I didn’t know what to expect… especially as I had heard of people pretty much spending a week making tea and coffee at other companies!
I quickly learned once I started my week, that work experience at TMC was going to be nothing like this. I was greeted on my first day with a welcome pack, including my own laptop to use during my time in the office, alongside a colour coded schedule to help me navigate the week.
During my first few days I was invited to attend sessions with each of the departments at TMC, to gauge what each department does in their role. However, keeping in mind that I was considering doing Graphic Design at University I was encouraged to spend more time with the Studio department.
Whilst they knew that I was new to using a lot of the creative software they use to complete different projects, I was set a variety of tasks and allowed to use my imagination and try tools such as Adobe InDesign and Figma.”
What were the most enjoyable moments of your work experience?
“This is a tough question! There were so many things I enjoyed about my work experience at TMC, however if I was to narrow it down it would probably be the team, the range of tasks and being able to develop my creative skills.
Throughout my time at the company, I was given a range of activities to complete, all designed to help me progress my creative skills and give me a head start over other students of my age.
This diversity of tasks really helped to make sure that I felt valued and like I was part of the team. There were never dull moments as members of the team were always making sure that I felt welcome and understood all of the tasks I had been set.
To help me monitor my progress in developing my creative skills I was set a task list on a Project Management tool; Asana, at the start of second week. I found this extremely useful as I could link the tasks I was completing to different skills.”
How do you think your work experience at TMC will benefit you in the future?
“My time at TMC was my first venture into a work environment, as I had never had the opportunity to complete work experience or a part time job before. I originally went in with the goal of finding out more about the creative industry.
I think going forwards, my work experience will benefit me because I got to see how people in organisations interact with each other, whether that person was at an Executive level or in a Senior Management position.
Whilst working on a project for Product Design in Secondary School, I gained some initial experience in completing creative tasks, some of which I was then set again at TMC. However, my time in their office allowed me to see the way in which many experienced designers completed these tasks from a different perspective. This gave me the opportunity to learn more efficient methods of completing tasks whilst also developing my skillset.”
When did you learn that your Work Experience placement had been extended?
“I had the pleasure of being asked to complete further work experience at TMC at the end of my first week. Whilst this came as a complete surprise to me, I had my fingers crossed that this might happen, as I found my time at the company very enriching!
I think I was asked to come back and complete further work experience because the team could see how much I enjoyed being in their work environment and my love for the creative industry. The advice and constructive criticism I received during my time at the company has further piqued my interest.
I would encourage anyone who is looking to complete work experience to go into it with enthusiasm and an interest in learning new skills!”
Creating a lasting positive impact is something that underpins everything we do TMC, we want to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to flourish. Our Graduate team recently shared their insight into life at TMC and offered some snippets of advice for those students looking to start their career after university. Click the link to read more ‘From Graduation to Collaboration’
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