Josh directs, edits and produces DMU video as part of pioneering scheme to help graduates gain vital experience

A graduate has shown off the skills he acquired at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) by directing, editing and producing a video to promote one of the many schemes designed to make our students more employable.

Josh Penlington, of Ibstock, graduated with a BSc in Media Technology last year after previously completing a two year course at our partner Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies in Nottingham.

He then joined our pioneering DMU Graduate Champions scheme which, since its launch in 2013, has helped hundreds of recent graduates take up internships with companies to help them gain vital work experience. DMU pays each Graduate Champion the living wage throughout their internship.

Josh was placed at DMU to carry out a six week videography internship during which he worked on producing a film promoting the university’s Employability Mentoring Project.

The short film explains how the scheme increases our graduates’ chances of finding their perfect job by getting advice from industry professionals who use their skills, knowledge and experiences to help open doors.

Mentors are assigned and matched to graduates so they can develop a supportive relationship through face-to-face, online, group and scenario-based mentoring experiences.

By taking part in the scheme graduates gain a competitive advantage as well as renewed confidence and networking skills to help them plan their future career. 

You can watch Josh’s impressive video below:

Josh said: “When I received the details about DMU Graduate Champions through the post I knew I should give it a go. What have you got to lose when you are being offered the chance to gain more experience?

“I worked with Andy Morris, an Employment Mentoring officer at DMU, who wanted to promote the scheme so it became my job to raise awareness through producing a film.

“I was briefed by Andy, had quite a few meetings and liaised with students, alumni and several people involved in the project before shooting and editing the film myself.

“I was really pleased with the results and pleased to see how videos like this can help students at the university. Everyone was very professional and I could not have asked for a better internship.”

He added: “I would definitely recommend DMU Graduate Champions. It gives you the chance to get that vital experience you need for your CV. The fact DMU pays the living wage is great too. It’s well above the rate of pay in a number of other jobs and you get a great experience too.”

Stuart Marriott,  Employer Development Manager for DMU, said: “Employability Mentoring is a recent addition to our portfolio of programmes to support our students and graduates. Andy is really innovative and has been keen to produce something interactive to promote the scheme to students, graduates, alumni and employers so Graduate Champions was the perfect platform for us to find a student help produce the video. We knew straightaway that Josh had something about him – a real passion for this type of work and he was a pleasure to have as part of the team, really dedicated and knowledgeable. We’re really pleased with the work Josh did for the team and we wish him well for the future.”

Third year students who are preparing to graduate can find out more information about DMU Graduate Champions buy visiting the website or emailing champions@dmu.ac.uk

Visit Josh's website for more examples of his work.