Ross builds his business skills at Marketing Birmingham

Third year BA Business Enterprise student Ross Loveitt has been helping to put Birmingham on the map through his internship at Marketing Birmingham – the city’s strategic marketing partnership. 

“I was looking for work experience over the summer,” said Ross. “I found the internship through hired@UCB, the university’s employability centre, and submitted a formal application. 

“I was then invited to attend a series of formal interviews in which I was asked a variety of questions about my course, what my skills were and asked to demonstrate my competency with programs such as Microsoft Excel. The process was very thorough and I was really pleased when they called to tell me I had gotten the internship. 

“I got the chance to work in several different departments within Marketing Birmingham. I spent some time in their Research department and worked with their PR team. I also worked in Business Birmingham, which looks to increase employability by supporting businesses; Visit Birmingham, that promotes the city as a must-see visitor destination; and Meet Birmingham that advertise the city’s events and conferencing venues. It really helped to broaden my skillset and I received an insight into all the different sectors that contribute to the organisation’s overall success. 

“One of my main responsibilities as an intern was updating and building on a statistical database that encompassed all the hotels and attractions in Birmingham and those adjacent to the city. This enabled staff to provide clients with comprehensive and up-to-date lists of great Birmingham venues and nearby tourism attractions. 

“Marketing Birmingham has a great working environment and I’m grateful to hired@UCB for offering me such a unique opportunity. I now have industry contacts, which are very important for students as they help with dissertation research as well as possible career opportunities. 

“My experience as an intern has definitely influenced my professional career – it’s given me a lot more to think about. I now realise that the business industry is very diverse and there are a lot of different avenues to consider.”

Andy Phillips, Marketing Birmingham, said: "we found the programme really useful to provide us with some short term input to complete key tasks. We were really pleased with Ross’s contribution – he was reliable, diligent and hard working – and with the appropriate guidance quickly understood what we needed and got on with it. He got one well with his immediate colleagues and everyone in the office and we were able to get him involved in a variety of projects. So all in all a very successful venture."