Daisy Brown and Rosie Jennings, two first year English Literature students from Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College (QE), Darlington, have spent an exciting day working with a local PR agency as part of their prize for winning a branding competition. In October, Sharon and Jenni from Resolution, based in Stockton-on-Tees, visited QE and challenged English Literature students to redesign a book jacket for George Orwell’s seminal text ‘1984’ with the winners securing a work experience placement in their office. Daisy and Rosie won the competition and were able to spend time with the organisation, getting involved in a number of day-to-day activities and obtaining a practical insight into how a PR agency functions. The students worked to an actual brief (Resolution’s eighth birthday campaign) and gained knowledge of how Sharon and Jenni tackle real life scenarios, including the use of in-house discussions and questioning to determine whether the brief should be pursued. They also helped to operate the company’s social media accounts and provided their own feedback on whether a TikTok should be incorporated into the business. Daisy was described as ‘very creative’ by Sharon whilst Rosie was keen to watch Jenni work on software and obtain a flavour of graphic design.
Looking back on the placement, Daisy comments: ‘My day at Resolution opened my eyes to the possibilities of where English could take me. I loved gaining an insight into all areas of the business and being part of such a welcoming and lively workplace. It was great to be immersed in an environment where every single person was passionate about what they do’. Rosie adds: ‘I really enjoyed my work experience placement at Resolution as it allowed me to explore careers which incorporate my interest in both Art and English. Sharon and Jenni have created such a positive working atmosphere and it was a pleasure to be involved in the creative process such as their weekly round-ups that they post on social media’. Julie Ashmore, Course Leader for English Literature at QE, concludes: ‘Both Daisy and Rosie thoroughly enjoyed their visit and it was wonderful for us to see the whole project through. We really hope that we can repeat the process next year and I’d like to thank Resolution for providing us with such a fantastic opportunity’.
