Keele Management School Magazine Keele Management School Magazine, Issue 2 | Page 6

09 Keele Management School News l Spring2015 Spring2015 l Keele Management School News KMS Supporting the Arts Mitchell Arts Centre Director, Salla Virman gives the employer perspective of working with Student Consultant, Sichen (Nancy) Guo. “We had our fi rst Student Consultant in 2013 and since this was a very positive experience, we were delighted to be offered the opportunity again in early 2014. Having also been part of the ‘Student Study Trip’ with the Management School, we already knew some of the prospective students and were also able to tell them more about our business and the way we operate. “Mitchell Arts Centre is a registered youth charity in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent and we operate a 300-seat theatre, a fully licensed café bar, meeting rooms, offi ce space and a dance studio. The venue was fully refurbished in 2011 and thus offers high- quality facilities for businesses, community groups, creative partners and the education sector. Our own programme also includes high-quality theatre plays for young people, children and families. “As a small charity we were delighted to have an extra pair of hands to help us with the delivery of our activities. We were originally looking for a student to work in a more marketing-focused role, but after interviewing the candidates, we realised that the students had much more to offer. Our chosen candidate, Sichen (Nancy) Guo was able to support us with a more varied skill set which included data analysis, fi nancial analysis and research. Nancy started in July and stayed with us for three months, providing valuable support in all areas of the business, as well as bringing in new ideas. “Nancy was particularly skilled in research and data analysis, which enabled her to take on a complex audience research project, including one with Staffordshire University as part of the Appetite project. She also had a more hands-on approach in being a member of our team delivering our Spin Bike summer activities for children throughout Stoke-on-Trent – which also got her picture being featured in the Sentinel newspaper!” Student Consultancy My Review, Sichen (Nancy) Guo Since returning home to China, Nancy has contacted us to provide her thoughts (and photographs) on the Student Consultancy experience. At the end of September, I fi nished my Student Consultancy project at Mitchell Arts Centre and went back to my home country. Now, I am working at Beijing Zhongpingjian Certifi ed Public Accountants Co. Ltd (BZCPA). I am sure that my work experience with Mitchell Arts Centre gave me an advantage over my competitors, helping me to be ahead of the other applicants and get my ideal job. All in all, I really want to say thank you. Thank you to Mitchell Arts Centre for offering me this opportunity. Thank you to Keele Management School – Student Consultancy Project. Everything was fantastic and the Student Consultancy experience will be a wonderful memory in my life forever. Meet our staff Tracy Statham Undergraduate Administration Team Leader Nancy as she appeared in the Sentinel newspaper If you weren’t a University Administrator, what would you be? I am a qualifi ed riding instructor, but did not pursue this as a career. However, if I was not an Administrator then I would like to study Equine Science and be employed in that fi eld. I would like to say helping horse owners with their horses’ issues, but that would be incorrect. It would be a case of helping horses with their owner’s issues. What can I say... I love horses! “We were really sad to see Nancy go at the end of her project, but are already looking forward to next year and a new Student Consultant. We were also very happy with the interview and selection process managed by Keele University, as they provided support every step of the way, but also enabled us to have fl exibility in terms of the role. I would warmly recommend Student Consultants to any business in the area as they are able to bring in their fresh take on things combined with the skills they have acquired during their Masters Programme.” If Salla’s experience has made you wonder whether your organisation could benefi t from working with one of our Student Consultants in summer 2015, please get in touch with either Dr Colin Rigby at [email protected] or Pat at [email protected]. We would be happy to explain more about the programme. 10 What would you say to a prospective student thinking of joining KMS? To a prospective student wishing to join KMS I would say take every advantage of it and do your best. I wish I had gone to university and studied! It would be important to study a subject that genuinely interests you, not to settle for the next best thing. Tracy Statham Besides being our Undergraduate Administration Team Leader, Tracy is also a keen horsewoman and owns a horse called Shiny. Tracy and her team are based in the Darwin Building and are the fi rst point of contact for all KMS undergraduate students requiring help or support with academic or personal matters. Any advice you would give to a current KMS student? My advice to students studying in KMS would be to work hard and not forget to take advantage of the services offered around Keele. There are lots of services that offer help and support, whether it be academic or personal. We have a great Administrative Team in KMS and are always here to offer support to our students where we can and if we are unable to help, then we always know who would be able to. If you could visit any country in the world, which would it be and why? If I could visit any country in the world it would have to be Africa or Australia, purely for the wildlife.