Through the University of Kent’s Employability Points (EP) Scheme and co-funded by the Santander Universities SME Internship Programme, Canterbury BID recently appointed Tiphène Lechleiter (School of Engineering and Digital Arts) as their summer intern.
The EP team caught-up with both Tiphène and Rachel Pilard, Marketing Manager, to find out more.
So far, Tiphène’s internship has been both rewarding and varied, and she has been tasked with a number of projects and duties. Foremost, focus has been directed towards marketing and Tiphène has been responsible for marketing local events, including Pride Canterbury and the Canterbury Wine Festival, in addition to creating content for both social media and the website.
Here, Tiphène was given a considerable amount of autonomy and was able to utilise her creative and design skills to create engaging online content. Foremost, this is evidenced with the work she has done for the forthcoming Medieval Pageant – one of Canterbury BID’s largest events – where she designed a huge banner, which has been viewed by thousands of individuals walking through Canterbury High Street, as well as content for the local press.
In addition to marketing and assisting with event planning, Tiphène has been given the chance to attend these key events, as well as smaller networking events, where she has met local business leaders, councillors and the local Mayor! As a result, she has not only developed her marketing knowledge, but gained essential experience in networking and general business.
As a Digital Arts student, Canterbury BID have also been able to extend the scope of the internship and utilise her unique skill set and as a result, she has been able to help code the website and digital platforms. Canterbury BID also arranged for her to spend some time with the Think Agency, a local brand and digital marketing agency, where she gained even more knowledge on social media, branding and digital marketing.
Reflecting on her experience, Tiphène said that her time with Canterbury BID has been incredibly ‘enjoyable and the work has kicked started my career…the team are so friendly, flexible and accommodating.’
Rachel also explained how the internship has been incredibly impactful, as it was ‘perfect timing and the perfect candidate…due to Tiphène’s digital background she has achieved much more than we expected and demonstrated both skill and speed when completing her tasks.’
With Canterbury BID currently running a ballot to allow their activity to continue, it has been an incredibly busy time for the team. As a result, the internship has been incredibly impactful in allowing for operations to continue efficiently, as Rachel explains, ‘the Medieval Pageant is what it is due to Tiphène and as a result she has a had a huge impact!’
Tiphène summarised by stating:
The EP Scheme has been invaluable, allowing me to take my first step into my industry and essentially start my professional career. Even without experience, I was able to secure an internship position at an important company, the Canterbury Business Improvement District, and valued for my skills. This internship has been the perfect entry to the professional world, by being a very flexible, supportive and encouraging environment. The team here have tailored the internship to make use of my skills, have given me endless networking and learning opportunities, and have been incredibly kind and fun to work with. I am thrilled to have used the EP Scheme and would recommend it to any student at the University!
Rachel also added:
Tiphene has been invaluable to the BID this summer. Her skill set has enabled our business to maximise marketing opportunities and push ahead on projects that would not have been possible otherwise.
Canterbury BID have been supporting the EP Scheme since 2014 and for more information on the work they do to benefit the city of Canterbury, please click here.