News 2000
Students offered brand new role with the Virgin Group
07/06/2000
A new-style initiative is giving University students around the UK the chance to work with the company they most admire - Virgin. And, according to recent research* - which rates Richard Branson top in a student league of business role models - this is just what they have been waiting for.
Virgin Mobile - Virgin's telecoms arm - is recruiting student brand managers from across the UK's universities and colleges. Each student brand manager will mix a series of marketing and public relations tasks with their full-time studies. This includes:
- research on current mobile phone usage among students
- auditing local Virgin Mobile retail outlets
- liaising with local and student media
- running competitions and sponsorship on campus
- selling Virgin Mobiles to colleagues
Each student is expected to work with Virgin Mobile for the duration of their degree, during which they will receive a wage, a free phone and get the chance to run their mobile for free by earning extra air-time vouchers.
Student managers will receive full training and enjoy openings for holiday work across the Virgin Group. Virgin Mobile aims to introduce a graduate recruitment scheme in the summer of 2001, giving the chance for student brand managers to join the company full-time.
Steven Day, spokesman for Virgin Mobile, comments: "This is a great initiative for students and Virgin Mobile. It provides students with vital work experience in one of the most popular companies in Britain and first-hand business training to put on their CV. It also gives Virgin Mobile a stronger representation in an important and fast-growing mobile market. Similar schemes have been run by a handful of other student-friendly brands, but Virgin Mobile hopes to develop this area on a larger scale. Our aim is to have a Virgin Mobile brand manager in every University in the country"
The project sees a partnership with Get Real!, a marketing agency which will co-ordinate the scheme on behalf of Virgin Mobile. Comments Alexandra Saint-Marc, co-founder of Get Real!: "We are really excited to be running a student brand manger program for Virgin Mobile. The scheme offers motivated, enthusiastic students an unparalleled opportunity to get a real head start in their careers, with a very high-profile brand. In return, Virgin Mobile will benefit from having a network of talented 'ambassadors', credibly building awareness and sales with the crucial, yet notoriously difficult student target audience."
35 students have been taken on to date and a further recruitment drive is planned for the new academic year, in September 2000. All undergraduates are welcome to apply. To find out more and register interest, students should go to www.getreal.net/mobile or www.virginstudent.com.
* Research was carried out among 500 students by educational and recruitment guide publishing company, Hobsons. The top three listed role models for students were Richard Branson, Bill Gates and the inventor James Dyson.
