Venture Matrix Newsletter 2015 16

VMnews The Venture Matrix newsletter TM

A roundup of last year’s projects including‌ Stage and screen students deliver performances in the local community Young entrepreneurs taught as part of the BiG Challenge Third sector organisations benefit from student support

2015/16

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Venture Matrix

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Who we are and what we do We provide Sheffield Hallam students with real-world work experience as part of their course.

They have the opportunity to work on projects for local organisations, schools and University departments. This gives them the business awareness, hands-on experience and work- ready skills future employers are looking for, improving their employment prospects after graduation.

Schools and organisations benefit from the talent and specialist skills our students can offer, drawing from a range of subjects

Senior lecturer academic development (employability)

This individual is responsible for the strategic direction of the Venture Matrix scheme and promoting it to both internal and external audiences.

Co-ordinator

The co-ordinator is responsible for managing all enquiries and allocating them accordingly, whether they’re from academics, students, schools or external organisations.

Venture Matrix is embedded into over 60 modules.

Ways of working with us We have a flexible approach and offer employability projects tailored to fit many different courses. This adaptability allows us to offer projects to as many students as possible, offering work-related projects to fit any module.

We currently have many tried and tested models for working with students.

One client per module or seminar One client provides one project to an entire module and the students break down into smaller groups to work on it. This has been one of our most successful models, creating a healthy completion among the students who become spurred on by each other.

External projects team

One project per student group

The External Projects Team deals with projects related to external organisations.

It’s also responsible for opportunities with University staff and internal departments.

One group of four to five students work with one client. This is a tried and tested model and was used this year for many different students.

One student one project

Schools and colleges projects team

Portfolio students

The Schools and Colleges Projects Team coordinates projects with local schools and colleges alongside other relevant partner organisations, such as Sheffield City Council. This encourages collaboration between the University and the local community.

Find out how you can get involved Phone 0114 225 4468 Email venturematrix@shu.ac.uk Visit www.shu.ac.uk/venturematrix @venturematrix 2

Students work on projects individually. This model works well in modules where students independently look for work experience projects from a number of sources.

One student works with numerous clients to create a portfolio of work. This works particularly well for students undertaking applied projects.

Events support for schools First year students get the opportunity to gain experience supporting large school events organised by the Venture Matrix team. This works especially well with level 4 learners.

Stage and screen students deliver performances within the local community Second year BA (Hons) Performance for Stage and Screen students delivered a number of performances and workshops within the local community to help raise awareness of sensitive issues such as honourable citizenship, globalization and equality.

At All Saints Catholic High School, the students’ performances were based on the Willy Russell hit ‘Our Day Out’ and key themes the class had been working on. The pupils were given a character to embody, and the class visualised how that character would act. The students also demonstrated how stage directions shape the way a play is interpreted.

An act performed by students in Graves Gallery produced a journey that brought artwork to life. Museum visitors were taken around the gallery as various artwork messages were acted out. The performance highlighted the need to seek more recognition for art and culture by supporting local culture organisations.

Other students acted out a 1940s style audio performance that they wrote with creative writing clients at Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind.

The intriguing murder mystery invited the clients to vote on who they thought was the murderer. The play was extremely well received and commended for raising awareness of sight loss.

Finally, students helped year 7 citizenship pupils at Tapton Secondary School develop a performance covering topics including democracy, stereotyping, mutual respect and tolerance. The first half focused on fitting in and accepting one another, and the second focused on human rights and stereotyping.

‘Working with Graves Museum has been a pleasure.

The project was exciting, insightful and all in all a lot of fun’.

Chance Fairhurst, BA (Hons) Performance for Stage and Screen student ‘We really enjoy working with students and knowing that when they go out into their chosen careers, they will take the knowledge they learnt from working with our clients. It is important to us that they help us to raise awareness about sight loss by taking on board the feedback from our clients.’

Jane Peach, fundraising and marketing officer, Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind

An additional group of students developed various workshops for St Wilfrid’s Community Centre clients, culminating in a final workshop performance of Alice in Wonderland. Another brief set by SHU Library was to explore common scenarios the library services team encounter on a daily basis. This time, the students devised a short film about the library’s services.

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Students help promote sport in the third sector Students from across the University worked with sport-related third sector organisations on projects ranging from journalism and PR to social media and web design.

BA (Hons) English Language student Charlotte Marshall worked with AFC Unity to improve their profile through PR activities and press articles. She also joined the football team and became a trustee on the board, developing her social and cultural capital.

‘Projects like FURD’s ‘Group Belonging’ are fantastic in bringing people from all different types of backgrounds together to play a universal sport where the language you speak and your background doesn’t matter.’

Matt Stone, BA (Hons) Sport, Culture and Society student

‘Part of the ethos of the course is linking wider social issues Final year students on the ‘sport, culture and society’ course worked with Football Unites, Racism in sport to ordinary people’s Divides (FURD) – a community youth project which brings people of all backgrounds together to everyday experiences. The enjoy football. They visited their U-Mix centre base and interviewed staff and young people about their views on racism in football. Some students also helped FURD to tackle the problem by bringing challenge for students here was together isolated communities for tournaments and leagues. The students also took part in a couple to produce sport journalism that investigates issues that are of friendly matches and coaching sessions with the young refugees and asylum seekers at FURD. current and newsworthy whilst From their research, the students produced a piece of sports journalism about racism in football, also discovering how they enabling them to become active citizens in the local community. impact on people within their Other students worked with Sheffield Tigers Rugby Union Football Club to improve accessibility community. of its media, with the aim of attracting more visitors to the club. Projects included maintaining the Module leader Beth Fieldingclub website, developing the social media presence and producing newsletters, game reports and Lloyd programme updates.

Local businessman, Terry Lee, attended a final presentation to receive feedback, advice from the students and see the outcomes they produced

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Languages students help local businesses set sights on European expansion Students on the ‘languages and culture in the global workplace’ module helped local enterprises discover potential international expansion routes.

The students undertook research on behalf of Freshly Squeezed, an events management company, Mechan Cranes Ltd, a crane manufacturer, The Language Learning Resource Centre at Sheffield Hallam University and The Incubator Shop, an independent incubation equipment provider.

Tailored research established which European markets the companies could best expand in and also provided expert linguistic advice. The real-world projects enabled the students to apply theory to business problems.

The students had previously undertaken an overseas placement year, during which they gained a comprehensive understanding of how foreign markets worked. This experience and academic knowledge was used to produce a detailed portfolio of recommendations, which they presented to each of their clients.

‘I enjoyed the entire experience of working with the students. My project brief was to outline a strategy for improving my company’s sales in Europe. The project was executed very effectively and the outcome was even better than I had hoped. I now have a clear vision of how to improve my sales in Europe and I’m very grateful to the students.’

Michael White, director of finance at The Incubator Shop and BA (Hons) Business and Enterprise Management graduate Languages students present their findings to their client

Local entrepreneur’s sales and web presence enhanced by our students Local entrepreneur Terry Lee worked with the Venture Matrix scheme across two of his businesses. Sheffield Business School students researched and investigated the viability of Atkinson Walker Saws Ltd, expanding export sales through interaction with new partners and customers. Students from the faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences used their creativity and digital literacy skills to develop new designs for engineering company Stephenson and Blake’s website, with the aim of improving its web presence and increasing its customer base. Atkinson Walker Saws is part of ‘Made in Sheffield’, the students also benefited from knowing that they played a part in helping the local economy.

‘The information generated by the students has been of great use and the sales and marketing information will be utilised. It’s nice to have a good, ongoing relationship with Sheffield Hallam University. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed the experience of working on the projects. I feel as employers we have a duty to be involved in the education of our potential employees of the future.’

Terry Lee, owner and director of Atkinson Walker Saws Ltd and Stephenson and Blake Ltd ‘A number of students selected Terry Lee’s brief to redesign the website for Stephenson & Blake. Terry attended the students’ presentations and provided feedback on the proposed website designs. This assignment provided students with a learning experience that will be beneficial to them when working on projects for clients outside of the University.’

Richard Mather, associate lecturer

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Students teach young entrepreneurs as part of the BiG Challenge

Jenny Growcott (right) receives the Venture Matrix Student Support Award, recognising the impact she made whilst supporting BiG Challenge.

Students from the faculties of Development and Society, Sheffield Business School and Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences have supported local school pupils, helping them to develop their inner entrepreneur as part of the BiG Challenge.

The BiG Challenge is an enterprise competition open to secondary schools and colleges across Sheffield. The programme, funded through Sheffield City Council and the European Regional Development Fund, allows school pupils to develop a business idea. Teams receive an initial £25 investment and pupils develop their ideas and sell their products or services. The teams pay back the £25 initial investment, but any other profit is theirs to keep This year around 400 teams took part in the competition. The aim is to encourage a spirit of entrepreneurship among young people, whilst allowing them to develop skills and knowledge that they wouldn’t otherwise have learnt in the classroom.

Our students ran a number of workshops and support sessions to help the BiG Challenge teams to develop their knowledge and awareness of the key areas of business, including marketing, finance and retailing.

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‘As a Sheffield Business School student and the owner of a small business, I have loved being a part of the BiG Challenge team support; getting to know some of the teams, seeing them progress and really show pride in their new businesses. It really is amazing what they have achieved.’

Jennifer Growcott, BA (Hons) Marketing and Retailing student

Local school children develop media and creative writing skills

Children from The Dearne ALC explore student life

Students from the Faculties of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences and Development and Society worked collaboratively with Forge Valley Community School to educate pupils about media and developing their creative writing skills.

Psychology students worked with year 9 school pupils from The Dearne ALC, educating them on university life and what it’s like to be a higher education student. The pupils were invited to Collegiate Campus where they gained first-hand experience of the teaching spaces and learning environment.

Media and English language students Emma Collicott and Sam Entwhistle are aspiring teachers and held workshops at Forge Valley Community School, giving the pupils the chance to learn and build their media skills. The pupils were then invited to the University for a one-day workshop to develop their script writing skills. They also put their scripts into action in the University’s TV studio whilst learning how to operate the equipment.

‘The experience definitely made my final year at university feel significant and has prepared me for future career prospects.’

Emma Collicott, BA (Hons) Media student ‘It gave me the freedom and opportunity to design my own project which was an exciting prospect’ Sam Entwistle, BA (Hons) English Language student ‘Between them they pulled together an outstanding experience for the pupils and even inspired them to want to come to university. Through this experience, they have learnt first-hand what it takes to be an inspiring teacher.

Alison McHale, senior lecturer

The visits were led by psychology students Kelsey Clancy, Tassaduq Hussain and Rebecca Wynne who focussed on raising aspirations by demonstrating the value and opportunities young people can gain from attending university.

The pupils were able to use the University’s moot law court to debate the benefits and challenges of attending university, before being given a guided tour of the campus.

‘This was an amazing experience that I am so thankful to have been a part of. I have learned some applicable skills with some great people and have really enjoyed spending time with the other students.’

Kelsey Clancy, BSc (Hons) Psychology student ‘The varied activities provided understanding of how universities function and what studying at university involves, along with developing confidence, communication and critical thinking.

Most importantly, our pupils stated that they can now imagine themselves living and studying in a university environment and are aspiring to do so.’

Tom Hope, assistant principal at the Dearne ALC

Psychology students invited pupils from Dearne Advanced Learning Centre (ALC) to visit Sheffield Hallam University to help raise their aspirations.

Pupils from Forge Valley Community School are taught how to operate a TV studio within Sheffield Hallam’s mock studio

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Local third sector Physiotherapy students organisations get school children supported by Sheffield moving Hallam students Occupational therapy students recently worked with a number of voluntary and third sector organisations on a 13 week placement.

Postgraduate occupational therapy students Sophie Warburton and Helen Whitaker were placed with Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind. They created a Mind and Movement group to encourage service users to re-engage in physical activity in line with World Health Organisation recommendations. The students also formed a Reminiscence Group to encourage service users to cultivate their sense of identity and give their memories the time they deserve. The group was well received and attendees hoped to further develop the concept themselves.

Students Lucy Zurich and Hannah Adewale worked with SOAR, a local social enterprise that delivers lifestyle and social support and provides health, employment and training services to tackle inequalities in health. Hannah developed the Get to Know Sheffield Better group which focused on integrating refugees and asylum seekers into a deprived area. She created information leaflets and games, and provided a place for members to improve their English, meet new people and swap cultural stories. The aim was to prevent low level mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, and physical health problems such as respiratory conditions.

Lucy’s programme Steps to Excellence had similar outcomes and focused on unemployed community members. Lucy now aims to write a paper on her experience which could form a template for government programmes for unemployed people where ‘workfocussed’ only programmes aren’t suitable.

Physiotherapy students seized the opportunity to work with Holy Trinity School on a project that saw them orchestrating activities such as wheelchair basketball, speed walking and Zumba.

Charis Rattigan and Darren Alderton, both in the final year of a physiotherapy degree, worked with school pupils to demonstrate activities which might not always be included in the curriculum.

They were both invited to Holy Trinity’s newly built school to run a PE lesson with year 4 pupils.

With figures suggesting that 23% of 2–10 year olds* in the UK are classed as overweight or obese, schools need to ensure that young pupils are educated about healthy living. This project showcased different sports to pupils, which allowed them to discover new, fun physical activities.

‘The project gave me the opportunity to use and develop my organisation, teamwork, time management, leadership and communication skills, which are very valuable and transferable to my future job as a physiotherapist.’

Charis Rattigan, BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy student *Figures for 2012 published by Public Health England.

Both students were able to effectively put their theory into practice, whilst helping to support local third sector organisations. Not only were the students being active citizens in the local community, but they were also able to developing and building upon their academic abilities.

‘It has been excellent working with Venture Matrix, who take the time and effort to really understand the needs of the students and the course to ensure a good placement for all of the students.

The placements outside the statutory services have been a fantastic opportunity for students to develop independent, autonomous learning and develop an intervention that is sustainable in a supportive environment, with an on-site supervisor and occupational therapist providing professional supervision.’

Margaret Spencer, senior lecturer

Health and Wellbeing students, Charis Rattigan and Darren Alderton, teach school pupils to get more active

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Digital media expertise shared with Sheffield businesses Students on the ‘digital production skills’ module created promotional videos for a variety of organisations including Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind, Savvy Spreads, Move More and South Yorkshire Transport Executive.

The students worked with their clients to gain a thorough understanding of what they wanted to achieve, then worked autonomously to create a timetable before undertaking the filming and editing. The clients received both short and featurette videos which they have used to help promote their businesses. They invested a small amount of time and received media which may have cost them a substantial amount elsewhere.

The experience allowed students to develop their own personal portfolio of digital content alongside working with business clients and developing their professional networks. The project was also an excellent opportunity to broaden the students awareness of the challenging experiences they may face once they enter the world of work.

‘Working with Venture Matrix, to offer students some ‘real-life’ projects and challenges, has been a good experience for Music in the Round. Not only have we been able to offer the students some work scenarios that were completely new to them, but we have also benefited from the perspective and energy of young adults who approach the work with a fresh eye and fresh ideas Not only have we been able to offer the students some work scenarios that were completely new to them, but we have also benefitted from the perspective and energy of young adults who approach the work with a fresh eye and fresh ideas.’

Local company benefits from students marketing and graphic design skills Students from Sheffield Business School and the Faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Science worked with Freshly Squeezed an interactive online community for the events industry, designed to make event planning easier.

Freshly Squeezed was founded by Sheffield Hallam graduates Celina Ploskonka and Laura Thomas. They benefited from the use of the University’s Hatchery, a dedicated office space for students and graduates to run their own businesses.

Graphic design students developed a new identity for the business, including a logo, branding guidelines and visual content. Business students assisted with market research, identifying potential new markets to expand into whilst considering market sizes, demographics, trends and competition levels.

Graphic design students developed a new identity for the business, including a logo, branding guidelines and visual content. Business students assisted with market research, identifying potential new markets to expand into whilst considering market sizes, demographics, trends and competition levels.

‘The students were very professional throughout the process and delivered fantastic results, which really could help us shape our future plans and strategy.

We’re very pleased with the results and the whole experience.’

Celina Ploskonka, co-founder of Freshly Squeezed

Simon Seligman, marketing and communications manager, Music in the Round Students present their project outcomes to their client

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Interior design students showcase their skills at the Prism Exhibition Over thirty BA Hons Interior Design students took the opportunity to create a new exhibition at Bank Street Arts, showcasing their innovative work. The students, collaborated with ‘experts’ within local organisations from the charity, literature, heritage and cultural sectors.

The students initially met with their clients to gain an insight into their organisation’s issues and problems which they were challenged to find innovative solutions to. The students spent three months creating three-dimensional installations to showcase to their clients.

One group worked with Stoney Middleton Heritage Centre Community Group, creating an artistic representation of the heritage and history of the Derbyshire village. The students used items from the village within their installation, bringing a part of the village to the exhibition.

Another group worked with a social scientist, Farida Vis. The students created an installation based around Margaret Thatcher, showing two contrasting photographs of the former prime minister, along with tweets looking at people’s opinions and views of her. At the exhibition, the general public were given the opportunity to add their own comments and views.

Other groups worked with ‘experts’ from SilenceBreaker Media, who help disadvantaged communities in South Yorkshire, Quail and Chryste, a script production company and Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus among others.

All of the installations were presented at an exhibition entitled ‘Prism’. The students not only curated and installed their pieces, but were also responsible for organising the exhibition, attended by their clients, the general public and Sheffield Hallam University staff.

‘All of the installations were presented at an exhibition entitled ‘Prism’. The students not only curated and installed their pieces, but were also responsible for organising the exhibition, attended by their clients, the general public and Sheffield Hallam University staff.

Working alongside industry professionals like this, we’ve challenged our students to apply their design knowledge in a creative yet practical way, using a range of design and fabrication techniques.’

Venture Matrix Phone 0114 225 4468 10

Email venturematrix@shu.ac.uk

www.shu.ac.uk/venturematrix

4693.4 -09/15

Sally Billau, senior lecturer

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