Greeting card publisher Paper Rose will soon be attending a Creative Industries Expo at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) for the first time, promoting the greeting card industry as an exciting career choice to graduates.
This is the first time that NTU has run the Creative Industries Expo event – which is to be held at the university on March 27. Paper Rose already has a strong link with the university – the university is one of the five participating in this year’s On the Cards greeting card design competition (something Paper Rose was integral in setting up three years ago along with GF Smith) and participates in the uni’s student placement scheme.
Reggie Pugh, creative director of Paper Rose says: “So little seems to be done for creatives when they leave university and go into the workplace, that when Kate Vines our studio manager and I were offered this opportunity, we were keen to be a part of it. Nottingham Trent seem to be very supportive on this front for graduates and because the greeting card industry relies on great creative work it is vital new graduates have more awareness of our vibrant industry. We will definitely like to get more involved in this in the future and to keep encouraging more creative and innovative ideas from new graduates coming through who want to work in our industry.”
There has been a lot of interest in the event, with 42 companies – from large multinationals to clusters of SMEs – already signed up, representing a whole range of creative industries from: fashion retail and animation to furniture upholstery and event production.
Linda Marchant, employability lead at NTU says: “We have been keen to host an event based around the creative industries for a while, to acknowledge the breadth and strength of the industry sector. I think there is a gap for this kind of event and we wanted to provide opportunities for our students not just to find roles but also to network with creatives. Another aspect we are making sure exists is a networking event for the exhibitors to have a chance to meet and talk to each other as well as the students.”
