Four students, fresh energy, and why work experience will always matter at KW

Opening our doors to the next generation of creative thinkers has long been a top priority at Knapton Wright.

With our founders having cut their teeth in big ol’ London town and bringing their take on agency life back to Lincolnshire, making sure the creatively minded know that big cities aren’t the only place where agency experience can be gained, is exactly why we work with local schools, colleges and universities. 

We recently welcomed four more students from Caistor Grammar School for a few days' work experience. And it’s safe to say they brought more with them than enthusiasm. Energy, curiosity, and a fresh perspective that reminded us exactly why we do this every year.

Not just a fly-on-the-wall experience

Having welcomed folk in for work experience since day dot, this time, team KW wanted to really put our students at the heart of it. Not the kind of work experience where students are sat quietly in the corner while “real work” happens around them. 

After a day of spending time with each of our team, understanding their roles and responsibilities - and the variety of work that agency life offers within each of their niches -  Olly, James, Tia and Tiana were split into two teams, and each given a live brief to work on throughout their placement. They were tasked with developing a campaign concept, with full freedom to explore the creative process (and the option to tap into any help or skills they needed from the wider team). From brainstorming ideas to producing branding, visuals, and even building landing pages, each team’s brief and time at the agency concluded with an official pitch to the KW team. 

The presentation of both teams' ideas was a genuine showcase of the potential that future generations will have to offer the marketing world. Creative, and with an uncanny ability to pick up new skills quickly, one group presented a fully branded and put-together event campaign, and the other taught themselves to use a HTML editor to create a functional landing page to host their competition campaign.

Fresh perspectives and honest feedback

The projects weren’t just valuable for our students; they benefited the KW team just as much. Seeing the kind of work we do every day through the eyes of the next gen - and hearing honest, thoughtful feedback - gave us a new perspective on active campaigns.

The girls, who joined later in the week, impressed us with a polished visual presentation, while the boys surprised everyone with their creativity and enthusiasm for the tasks.

Having reflected on the time this quartet spent in the office, team KW found that the most positivity came from discussions that happened around the briefs being completed - much like day-to-day chats in the office, except in this case, it was about the students’ futures. Their plans (or uncertainties) around university and apprenticeships, and their questions about how we each found our way into marketing and the different experiences that led each of us to Knapton Wright. 

It was a chance to demystify the industry and show them the range of roles - and entry points - that exist in an agency like ours – from strategy and design to content and client management. And, in true KW fashion, we even handed them the keys (metaphorically), making them all interim-CEO for their time here, to give them a taste of what it feels like to lead.

Why we keep doing this

This isn’t the first time we’ve welcomed work experience students to KW - and it definitely won’t be the last. For us, it’s about more than just giving young people something to put on their CVs.

• It boosts morale in our own team - excitement and ideas are contagious.

• It allows us to pass on knowledge and see how far we’ve come ourselves.

• It strengthens our ties with local schools, colleges and universities.

• It raises awareness of creative careers in our community.

• And, most importantly, it gives young people a real, hands-on insight into agency life.

For some of us, work experience was the first stepping stone into a career we hadn’t even imagined. That’s why we’re passionate about paying it forward. Today’s 15, 16 and 17-year-olds are tomorrow’s creatives, marketers, and business leaders. By partnering with local schools and providing real opportunities for students to engage with live projects, we can only hope to nurture the talent that will shape our industry’s future.