Partner Article

World of retail for Studio West student

A local student is gaining from a unique opportunity kindly offered by high street store Marks & Spencer in conjunction with his studies at Studio West as part of the retailer’s Business Placement Programme.

Marty Winch, a 17 year old student from Studio West, an enterprise and innovation campus and one of the first types of learning environments of its kind, is currently mixing his studies at school with time at the Northumberland Street branch of Marks & Spencer. Here he is working across all departments getting a great insight into the retail industry and what skills and characteristics it requires to be successful.

Marty commented; “It’s great being able to mix my time gaining qualifications at school while learning about the world of work with Marks and Spencer. I’ve always liked retail and when I finish at Studio West, I would love to work at Marks & Spencer.”

Studio West is the first Studio School in Newcastle upon Tyne for students aged 13 – 19 years. Having opened in 2014, it uses real life enterprise projects to teach students practical skills as well as academic subjects including English, Maths and Science. The support of major business partners creates a unique blend of education and helps immerse the young students in the world of work.

Marks & Spencer is a key supporter of Studio West and hosts Marty two days a week throughout his Year 12 and 13 studies. To gain the placement Marty had to go through a full recruitment process, preparing a CV and covering letter and then going for an interview. Marty impressed the recruitment team at Marks & Spencer and became one of the first students to gain a long term placement. Now in his third month, he is currently enjoying working within the busy Foodhall department.

Nikki McKidd, store manager at M&S Newcastle, said: “Our Business Placement Programme is a competitive environment but it also a very rewarding one, with applicants benefiting from gaining insights into how the different departments across the store operate.

“Marty is doing a great job and is working extremely hard. It’s a pleasure having him working as part of our team.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam McLoughlin .