Graphics students work with local business to gain real work skills

Sunderland College Graphic Design students have been working in partnership with Sunshine Cooperative, an online retailer of locally sourced, sustainable and organic products.

The students were given the opportunity to take part in a work experience project, where they were given a live brief to develop recipe cards and photograph the produce which are set to be used on the Sunshine Cooperative website and social media channels.

This was a fantastic opportunity for the students who were keen to get involved in the activities set by the organisation and build their skills working with the organisation. The recipe cards created are to be used within the fresh fruit and veg boxes supplied by Sunshine Cooperative which go out weekly to their customer base, meaning the student work will be seen by a wide range of people across the North East.

Danielle Oliver, Sunderland College Student Progress and Development Manager said:

“The opportunity for our students to engage with The Sunshine Co-operative really empowered our learners to understand the importance supporting local business’ and enabled them to get involved in a project which gave them real industry experience to enhance their employability skills. I am excited to see where this new partnership can take us and am looking forward to much more cross college collaboration to develop the relationship further.”

Andrea Errington, Sunderland College Graphic Design Lecturer added:

“The students work experience with sunshine co-operative has been an extremely valuable experience that they have all enjoyed. It has given them a fantastic opportunity, not only to put their hard-earned graphic design skills into practice but has also given them the opportunity to work in a ‘real world’ situation, where their individual creativity has been encouraged and supported by the employer.”

Austin Cryan, Sunderland College Graphic Design Student continued:

“Working with Sunshine Co-Operative has made me much more confident in my commercial photography skills. The pressure of working on a live brief was at first challenging, but really paid off once I found out my photos were going to be used on their social media and website!”

The college look forward to growing their partnership with the Sunshine Cooperative and are currently in discussion with the organisation around an opportunity to develop seasonal updates and reviews of their merchandise, as well as discussions around the development and design of environmentally friendly materials to deliver their produce in as well as future student placements within the business as it grows.