Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI)

CCi Placements - For students

The Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries is committed to improving the employability of our students. The CCi Placements Office was set up at the end of 2011 with the aim of helping undergraduate students gain valuable work experience relevant to their degrees. Students have the chance to complement their academic studies with a wide range of opportunities such as:

• Yearlong sandwich / industrial placements
• Summer and short-term internships
• Part-time work
• Work shadowing
• Projects provided by employers
• Freelance work

The CCi Placements Office provides a comprehensive service to both students and employers, including coordinating the advertising and recruitment for placement and internship positions. Our students say:

I was desperate to find some work experience during the summer period but I didn't know where to begin. The CCi Placements Office took a huge weight off my shoulders whilst I was focusing on my coursework as I received constant emails about opportunities available to designers. I also received help with my CV and how to put together an online portfolio which helped me greatly when applying to placements. This is a great platform to learn how to sell myself to employers.

I eventually found a placement through the CCi Placements website. It was great because it was local and exactly what I needed for the summer. I created a visual identity for the company, giving them a welcoming yet professional look. Work included stationery and website design.
(Year 2 Graphic Design student who went onto complete a placement with a local marketing company)

The service provided by the Placements Officer is extremely useful from start to finish. She has helped me enormously to improve my CV and find a placement in a friendly and helpful way and I would recommend her help to anyone.
(Year 1 Illustration student)

 I like the frequency of emails. Reminders are good because people tend to forget, especially when they're involved in other projects. I found the emails very motivational and I could prepare in time, because I knew in advance. I like the sincerity and good advice. Thanks for everything!
(Year 3 Interior Design student)

A placement can greatly increase your career prospects. Nearly half of employers rate relevant work experience as the most important thing that they look for in potential employees.

A placement will give you the chance to:

• secure a graduate job - a number of placement students are offered permanent graduate positions and work experience can give you the extra edge in the graduate job market.
• improve your employability - work experience on your CV makes a difference.
• put the knowledge you've gained on your course into practice.
• explore and decide on subject options.
• improve your degree classification.
• develop soft skills such as time management, problem solving and team work which employers complain are often lacking in graduates.
• make contacts who may be able to help you get a job after graduation.
• gain a real insight into your chosen area and into how the business world operates.
• earn money (some placements are paid)

What our students say

Name: Jamie White

Course: BSc (Hons) Computer Games Technology

Placement: Altcom Ltd, Cornwall – software development and consultancy

I worked on mobile device platforms such as Android, developed 3D graphical applications and learnt how to design/wireframe data entry programs (to collect data for research projects). Through these I improved my skills in programming, project management, teamwork and colleague communication skills and learnt how to work with clients on real industry projects.

Training from ex-industry lecturers and services offered at Portsmouth are a once in a lifetime opportunity to gain the experience you need. The University helped me put together a strong CV and gave me the confidence to contact companies about placements and engage in interviews. This meant I secured my placement on my first real attempt. The placement has shown me the skills I offer and my true potential. I’ve become more employable – in fact, I’ve already gained employment with Altcom for when I graduate.

Comments from other students:

"I was actually awarded "Placement of the Year" and made an ambassador for the company, meaning that there was a job opportunity awaiting me pending successful completion of my degree." 

"My placement has been absolutely invaluable to me, teaching me a massive amount of information."

"Jagex is a great place for work experience and has helped me prepare for my career."

 "I’m very grateful to be working here as an intern because of the doors that it has already opened for me."

 "An absolutely brilliant year, cannot recommend it highly enough to anybody."

 "It’s like a big family and it has made up my mind that I definitely want to work in the industry for the rest of my life."

Who employs our students?

Our students and graduates have worked for various companies ranging from global organisations to local SMEs such as:

Other students become teachers or set up their own businesses. Find out more about what our students go onto achieve:

• CCi graduate profiles
• "Spotlight on Successful Alumni" includes two former CCi students (Update, the University of Portsmouth's annual alumni & friends magazine)
• Fashion & Textile Design alumni
• Graphic design alumni including Sarah Matthews who was part of the Aardman Digital team which won 2 BAFTAs in 2011
• Illustration alumni
  

Student success

Sony Award win for photography student - Alecsandra Raluca Dragoi, a second-year photography student at the University of Portsmouth, won first prize in the culture category of the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards Youth Award.

People with Passions: a photo series by British teenager Jack Daly - An Entertainment Technology student captured his subjects surrounded by the objects of their obsession and was featured in The Telegraph's Culture Picture Galleries.

Games student's success - Computer games student has had his submission accepted for presentation at NVIDIA’s GPU Technology conference – the major forum in the world for GPU computing.

Student’s war film wins prestigious award - BSc (Hons) Television and Broadcasting student wins a prestigious Royal Television Society Award in the student factual film category.

Graduate sells designer fashion to mums-to-be - A fashion student who had a baby in the middle of studying for her degree has set up her own business selling her own bespoke maternity wear.

Dickens’ novel inspires sonic art project - A novel by Charles Dickens has inspired an unusual art project in the town of his birth and University students have played a fundamental role in its creation. The work is by artist, Suki Chan, who was commissioned to mark the 200th anniversary of Dickens’ birth.  Students from Music and Sound Technology, Digital Media and Photography courses helped with sound recording and editing and with photography for the installation and Suki said their help had been invaluable.  “The students worked with enthusiasm and a lot of energy – I’m not sure we would have done it without them.”

Architecture students win RIBA hat-trick - Three student architects from the University of Portsmouth have won prizes from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for their vision and ability to deliver projects

BBC recruits students for Big Screen Olympic Games coverage - The BBC was so impressed with the quality of work produced by film students from the School of Creative Technologies at the University of Portsmouth that they selected twice the number of students than it intended to be involved in producing content for the UK’s ‘Big Screens’ during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Young photographer beats the odds to host first exhibition - A young photography student who suffers with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is hosting an exhibition of work inspired by his condition. Tyran Hawthorn was diagnosed with the debilitating muscle-wasting condition when he was a child. He uses rotten fruit to capture experimental photographic images to illustrate his mixed emotions of anger about his condition.

New Navy deal with university uses student expertise - Computer game simulators will be used to train Royal Navy personnel thanks to support from students at the University of Portsmouth. Computer games and animation students in the School of Creative Technologies are reproducing 3-D models of military hardware, such as ships, aircraft carriers, helicopters and submarines, which are embedded in computer simulators reflecting real combat situations.

Student architects re-design zoo - A zoo on the Isle of Wight could be re-vamped thanks to architecture and interior design students from the University of Portsmouth. The Isle of Wight Zoo is considering a redevelopment of its site and approached the University’s Architecture Project Office for help. The scheme operates as a real architectural consultancy, providing the close links between the School of Architecture and external stakeholders and client organisations.

Interior design student wins top prize - A third year interior design student, Tony Tan, won The Janine Stone Young Interior Designer of the Year award in 2011. Janine Stone praised the entries from the University of Portsmouth, saying: “We thought that all the standard of work presented by Portsmouth students was very high. They seem to have a clear idea of how to marry innovative ideas and commercial sense.”

Resources for current students

Even though you will receive help and guidance, finding a placement is likely to be hard work so you need to be truly committed to your job search. You will need to devote time and effort if you are to be successful. Those students who put in the effort stand a good chance of gaining valuable work experience.

The Placements Office has created a website to help undergraduate students secure relevant work experience. This website is available online through Moodle, our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), and called "CCI Placements". The website is regularly updated and contains lots of useful information including:

• Application, interview and assessment centre advice
• Vacancies
• Resources to help you find a placement

Purple Door Careers and Recruitment

Purple Door Careers and Recruitment also offer a range of services to students and graduates including employer events, application and interview advice, advertising vacancies on their jobs board and running the University's own recruitment consultancy. More information is available on their award-winning website.

Am I guaranteed to get a placement?

The employment market is getting tougher and unfortunately, not everyone will succeed in securing a placement. You are in competition with lots of students, and those who market themselves most effectively will be the ones who succeed. Please note that the Placements Office is here to support you but does not act as a recruitment or matching agency.

For more information, please contact us.