Industry insights: Students explore creativity in the workplace

Meet the students and organisations taking part in our innovative new Level 5 Diploma in Creative Professional Development, as they reflect on their first industry placement experience. 

This year, a group of Norwich University of the Arts students have taken the opportunity to further develop their employability skills and professional experience, by embarking on a Level 5 Diploma in Creative Professional Development.

The diploma is open to students on most undergraduate degree courses and is taken as an optional additional year of study between Year 2 and Year 3. It’s designed to introduce them to a wide range of creative roles and expand their understanding of what it means to work in the Creative Industries.

Image Credit: Monika Swiat, BA (Hons) Photography with L5 Diploma in Creative Professional Development

Students take part in both a six week and twelve week placement within a creative team during the one year diploma. Each host organisation works with the University to refine the role they can offer. These roles are then matched with students based on their learning outcomes and areas of interest. Students are assigned a mentor within their workplace, with touch points throughout the placement to ensure both student and host are supported in achieving their goals. 

BA (Hons) Photography student Monika Swiat worked with the communications team at the Broads Authority. She was presented with the challenge of working with the archive of naturalist Ted Ellis, to assemble a narrative of his work on social media. By sharing insights from Ted’s life’s work, the project aimed to encourage viewers to take part in rediscovering the wilderness around them.

Image Credit: @tedellis_journals on Instagram – Supported by Broads Authority, Ted Ellis Trust and Norwich University of the Arts

Video production company, Lambda Films, hosted a BA (Hons) Animation student who worked alongside the Animation Director on a variety of projects. Their founder, Ryan Stone, saw the placement as an opportunity to inject new thinking and ideas into their company, gaining insight into how younger audiences perceive and consume video content.