For most students a work placement is an expected part of the course: the Arts Management masters programme run by Anglia Ruskin University is no exception. Clare Connor describes her experiences on a placement with Audiences Yorkshire.
After studying the theory of arts marketing as part of my MA in Arts Management, I approached Audiences Yorkshire for my work placement. They specialise in the field I want to work in marketing campaigns and audience development projects for the cultural sector and are committed to supporting people who want to start to work in this sector. Their comprehensive approach to setting up my work placement gave me my first insight into how effective professional organisations should work: my placement enabled me not only to develop the skills I already had, but also to try new things ranging from proofreading and website editing to reviewing theatre performances. In the month that I spent there, I was also able to shadow key members of staff and attend internal and external meetings, to gain a general overview of the organisation and an understanding of the skills required when working within a professional environment. Students benefit from placements in different ways, but for me, there have been the following key benefits that I could not have learnt from a textbook:
Communication skills: I gained hands-on experience about the importance of good communication and invaluable opportunities to liaise with a variety of stakeholders, from audience members to staff from the regions cultural venues. I also had the opportunity to witness how important it is to build relationships and communicate effectively in both verbal and written communication.
Team working: From the start I was able to work within various teams to see first-hand how best to work with others, how to manage large-scale projects, how to raise ideas in a safe and supportive environment, and how to ensure projects are delivered to a high standard, on time and on budget. In a real-life situation it is possible to learn how flexible the most rigid of plans need to be textbooks rarely teach this. I was also able to see how important it is to pay attention to every detail, and to ensure you stick to deadlines to avoid affecting everyone else in the team.
Real experience: Audiences Yorkshire was committed to ensuring that I not only fulfilled the academic requirements of the University, but also that I got involved with a variety of work that was related to the type of career I am seeking. My responsibilities were focused on assisting the Project Co-ordinator of the Illuminate Festival, and other staff, with their work. The opportunity to participate and support projects with tangible outcomes gave a reality to the theory that cannot be experienced in the classroom. As a work placement student I was also allowed to sit in on meetings as an observer.
At Audiences Yorkshire I was treated as a permanent member of staff, my ideas and suggestions were listened to in a respectful way, and I was given feedback on my work. When a placement is conducted in this way, students learn a lot and gain experience and this is something a textbook cannot teach.
Clare Connor is a postgraduate diploma student in Arts Management at Anglia Ruskin University.