A recent Keele University graduate impressed her new colleagues so much during her internship that she was offered a permanent role after just a few weeks. Lauren Kay, a 2017 Keele Marketing and Psychology graduate, initially joined business solutions company Strategi Solutions on a ten-week Santander-funded internship but instantly made her mark on the role.

Lyn Rowe, Strategi Solutions’ Sales and Marketing Director, said: “I approached Keele to help us source a graduate for a PR and Marketing Assistant role that we had created, as I’d heard great reviews about their internship programmes. The Keele Internships team turned things around quickly, including the shortlisting, and we offered Lauren the role the day after we interviewed her.”

A typical day for Lauren includes planning and implementing marketing campaigns for clients, sourcing PR opportunities, writing press releases and blogs, managing client’s social media and optimising client websites.

A few weeks into her internship, Lauren was offered a permanent role with the company. Office Manager Lisa Clowes explains: “Lauren has brought with her useful skills, which have further enhanced the service we offer, and has already made a big impression on her colleagues and clients. Our current customer base is extremely happy with her work, and her support has also enabled us to secure additional clients, which is fantastic for the company.”

“The whole internship experience has been a very worthwhile exercise for us and has enabled us to gain new and exciting ideas from the freshest talent around. Having an intern has only benefitted our business, helping us to progress to the next level. Based on our experience with Keele so far, we would definitely look to take on another intern.”

Speaking about her experience, Lauren commented: “Whilst on the Santander internship, I’ve learnt the importance of professional communications, networking and that it’s okay to ask for help when needed. Working at Strategi is exciting, fun but also hard-work. Our motto at Strategi is “work-hard, play hard” – a phrase we definitely live by!

“The most exciting opportunity for me, so far, has been working on the ‘Women of the Year and Luncheon Awards’, which Strategi is providing the Marketing & PR for this year. Dragons’ Den Jenny Campbell is a member of the WOTY board and, as an avid watcher of the programme, I am ecstatic to be working alongside her and the board. I’ve had the chance to work with some incredible women involved in the awards such as Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the suffragette movement, and I could not be more grateful to Strategi for the opportunity.

“My advice to any student or graduate looking to benefit from a Santander internship is to prepare well for interviews and know how to ‘sell’ yourself to the employer. It’s important you know your skills and strengths and why these make you suitable for the position. Talk about the skills you have gained from university, or work, and how these will both benefit the company and help you in the role.”

For information on the opportunities available through the Keele-Santander programme please visit www.keele.ac.uk/internships. Details of other business support programmes available through Keele University’s Business Gateway can be found at www.keele.ac.uk/business.

For information on the Santander Universities commitment to Higher Education, please visit www.santander.co.uk/uk/santander-universities.