As part of our core values here at MHI, we seek to garner and support rising young talent. One of the key ways we do this is through our placement programme. Here, we welcome students who are studying for a commercial degree, such as business and management, to join our company to experience a year in industry.
Occurring during their penultimate year of studies, we offer unique on-the-job training in a bustling and growing business. Moreover, we aim to provide a solid foundation of experience that students can draw upon when starting their careers post-graduation.
Our placement programme
From day one we love to give our students the responsibility necessary to develop in our fast-paced environment, supporting them along the way. With four rotations across the year in various areas of the business, we provide the opportunity to gain a strong understanding of the integral functions and processes that keep MHI operating. These include:
· Operations and logistics
· Client services
· Project management
· Marketing
We also provide the opportunity for our placement year students to decide which function they would like more experience in. This allows them to tailor their year to their career and interests. Across the years that the scheme has been operating, we have had some incredible students leave their mark on the business.
Programme foundations
Our desire to nurture talent and provide opportunities for students stemmed from our own CEO and founder, Paul Brown. Whilst studying at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU), Paul undertook a placement year himself at a small and dynamic business in Bristol. After this introduction to the city, Paul returned upon completion of his studies to establish the business.
In his own words Paul reflects on his experience:
“My courses at Sheffield were building blocks that gave me the skills and confidence to run a business. I had been doing commercial ‘side gigs’ both at school and through university so it was a natural path to scale this up as an opportunity in the newly emerging Direct Marketing Industry arose.”
University ties
Strong ties between the business and SHU have remained since Paul's departure. Most recently in the form of our current placement student – Harry. In line with our entrepreneurial spirit, Harry has his very own business which he has run alongside his studies and now work. To read more about his business, Fresh Creps, and our other students’ entrepreneurial endeavours, take a look at our blog post for National Entrepreneurs Day.
Sheffield Hallam University has played a crucial part in the formation of MHI as we know it today. Maintaining this entrepreneurial focus, the university has recently won Outstanding Entrepreneurial University for 2021 at the annual Times Higher Education Awards. With thanks to the university’s Highly Skilled Employment Project, we were able to obtain leading industry knowledge and support through our placement student programme.
Read more about Sheffield Hallam University’s latest achievement in their news article.
Supporting local students
To provide opportunities locally, MHI has partnered with the University of the West of England (UWE). Paul sits on the Business and Management Advisory Board at the university, helping them to deliver business-ready graduates. This is in addition to the unique placement opportunity offered here at MHI. We asked our current placement year student about his experience.
1) What has been the best part of your placement year so far?
“There have been many highlights so far but for me, I think meeting the many people that work at this company and continue to push it to higher heights.”
2) What impact have you been able to make on the business?
“I’d like to think I have had a positive impact on the business,one way or another. I’ve supported the Project Manager for Development in handling various IT projects across the business which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. These projects drive the business forward by advancing the technology we have. I have also been given the full responsibility of developing a new lifestyle brand which I’m grateful for.”
MHI’s core values focus on the Triple Bottom Line: People, Profit, Planet. Therefore, we place our people at the heart of everything that we do as one of our three core pillars. We believe that every individual makes a difference in making MHI the forward-thinking and growing business that it is.
Keep an eye on our social channels for the latest placement and job vacancies as our team expands.
