Northumbria graduates support growth of local business

5th September 2022

Newcastle based marketing agency expands their portfolio of clients with the help of Northumbria graduates.

Established in 2005, O Communications is an evolving creative agency, covering design, and digital and strategic marketing.

The Northumbria Enterprise and Business Support 2 (NEBS2) scheme from Northumbria University, offers financial assistance and expert advice to SMEs thanks to funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Through this scheme, O Communications employed Sam, International Sports Management graduate at Northumbria University as an intern.

“Stepping into this role was a natural progression for me. I had always been interested in PR and had done a lot of research into sporting influencers as part of my university dissertation,” Sam said.

“Working for the Consumer PR team, presented me with the opportunity to explore this further, and so much beyond that. I gained experience in various areas including, influencer marketing, media outreach, content creation and event planning. Having not worked in the industry before, I was really motivated to get stuck in and eager to do a good job. As a result, I was offered a permanent position at the agency.”

“I’m grateful for the skills and experience my internship has given me and would recommend all graduates looking to gain valuable insight into the industry they’re hoping to step into, to consider a similar role.”

Lauren Regan, Associate Director of O Communications said: “As an agency we believe in doing what we can to drive careers forward, which drew us to NEBS2. We have employed a few graduate interns through the scheme and each one has brought real value to the company. Having Sam on board, brings a new set of ideas and creates the space for us to win new clients.

“NEBS2 has given us that extra bit of support, which we needed in order to continue growing at such a fast pace. Northumbria has always produced us with high quality graduates, who are brilliant additions to the team and Sam has been exceptional. So much so that we are delighted to have offered him a permanent position on the team.”

Available to businesses in Tyne and Wear and Northumberland, NEBS2 will run until June 23 to provide a package of services to enhance the competitiveness and growth of SMEs, and to support the creation of new graduate enterprises. Businesses who are looking at ways to recruit highly skilled interns, are encouraged to apply via our website.