University of Chester graduate Sam Viller has joined JDG Media as a content assistant on a three-month internship.
Following a successful work based learning (WBL) placement at JDG Media in Warrington during the second year of his Sports Journalism course, Sam Viller, 21, from Swinton in Manchester, was excited to learn that an internship position within the company had become available.
He applied for the vacancy and was thrilled to be offered the job, which he said was partly thanks to his previous experience with the company. Sam is now working as a Content Assistant for JDG Media, primarily reporting on rugby league for www.loverugbyleague.com
Sam said: “I really enjoyed every moment of my five-week WBL placement with JDG Media as a Content Producer. I had the opportunity to gain real practical experience working on a number of websites carrying out tasks which included writing content, undertaking research, building contacts and conducting interviews.
“When the internship position came up, I hoped that I would stand a fairly good chance of being successful in my application thanks to the experience that I had already had with the company.
“I didn’t think it would be possible to find work in sports journalism so quickly after completing my degree, especially as it’s such a competitive job market. The internship opportunity is a fantastic way for me to prove my ability and hopefully be kept on in a permanent position afterwards.”
James Gordon, Managing Director of JDG Media, added: “We’re really pleased to have Sam joining our team, hopefully for the long term.
“We have been providing WBL placements for University of Chester for the past few years, giving valuable real-life experience to students to complement their studies. When we learned of the internship initiative, it seemed like the perfect next step to that relationship, giving us the support we required to commit to having a new full-time member of staff, which is often a daunting prospect and sometimes a bit of a risk for any small business.
“Providing these opportunities is something I’ve been passionate about since setting up the business – my first job after my own university studies was with a company who I had worked for on placement during my degree. Given the industry we work in, giving young people the platform to show what they can do means that they can create an opportunity and show their potential worth to the company, and this is exactly what this internship sets out to do. After the initial three months, we hope that Sam has proven his worth sufficiently enough to ensure his stay with JDG Media is a long one.”
The internship opportunity was made possible through the University of Chester Santander Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Intern Programme, which provides opportunities for final-year students and recent graduates of the University to undertake a three-month paid work placement with an SME. The funding for the internships is provided by both Santander Universities and the SME who each contribute 50% of the intern’s salary plus taxes respectively. Although under no obligation for the SME to continue to employ the intern at the end of that period, the programme is an effective way of evaluating the individual’s potential as an employee to be kept on long term.
