Work experience- a phrase that fills many with dread at the prospect of endless tea runs and the hard task of photocopying and stapling. Having never done a placement before I thought this was what I was in for; I couldn’t have been more wrong. Walking through the double doors of the vast expanse of Four Brindleyplace I felt incredibly intimidated but this was put to rest the moment I entered the Core office. The relaxed atmosphere, filled with laughter makes the obviously hard working office a comfortable and friendly place to be, which was further proven throughout my week in the office.

What did I get up to?

My task for the week was to create a mock brochure for Baskerville House (http://www.baskervillehouse.co.uk) a flexible open plan office building in the heart of Birmingham. It was great to have something to work on and I really enjoyed developing it over the week despite my lack of creativity! I was lucky enough to use the complex programme of Abode InDesign to create my brochure and with the help of Studio Manager, Richard Clews I managed to grasp the basics, just about… The final product looks brilliant and I believe I am now a lot more aware of all the work that goes into producing a high standard brochure but I’m not quite there yet!

I also went to view several property development sites, which Core are doing marketing work for and it was interesting to see life outside the office. My knowledge of Birmingham was previously limited to the inside of the Bullring Shopping Centre and it was nice to expand on that and discover the real Birmingham and all its sights!

Furthermore I attended a monthly client meeting where I gained insight into another aspect of Core’s marketing. I might not have understood entirely what was being talked about but it was a good experience to meet new people and discover what goes on behind the scenes of a successful business.

On my penultimate day I walked into the office, ready for the day ahead to come face to face with my head teacher from school! She had come to “check up on me”; after the initial shock its safe to say there were several laughs about my reaction, making an extremely eventful start to the day!

I thoroughly enjoyed my work placement in the Core office not only learning about different jobs and what they consist of but also meeting the Core team, who made me feel incredibly welcome and included which I greatly thank them all for. Hopefully they’ll have me again!