Marketing MSc grad joins the Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme

Richard is one of our Marketing (Digital Marketing) MSc graduates. He’s recently started working as a project manager at a construction company via the university’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP).

We caught up with Richard about his graduate role, how he’s finding it and how his course helped him prepare for the working world.

“My current role is strategic marketing and business innovation project manager through the Knowledge Transfer Partnership.

“The KTP provides small businesses with specialist knowledge. In this case, [the company] were looking for strategic marketing and business innovation. What the KTP does is connect that company with university expertise.”

The University of Brighton’s KTP is a government run programme that helps businesses succeed by connecting them to academic resources and a recently qualified graduate.

More than 280 companies have worked with the University and each partnership lasts between 12 months and three years.

Richard’s KTP contract is for two years and during this time, he’ll be implementing a project to expand nationally.

The construction company he’s working for are known for home insurance repairs and constructing luxury new-builds, but they’re also expanding into home renovations and are developing a digital tool to assist people in getting quotes for painting and decorating work.

“The main part of my project for the first six months is to ensure that the new business unit is launched on time.

“My job is to make sure that the process happens in such a way to get the most out of it, and the most success for the business in terms of revenue, growth, marketing, and targets for expansion in the regions.

“The great thing about a management Knowledge Transfer Partnership (mKTP) is that it keeps you in connection with the academics. I still have the advantage of having contact with Dr Nadia Lonsdale and Dr Veronique Bolocher-Passet (the academic supervisors) who are supporting me in the role.

“I’m officially employed by Brighton University, but I am based at the company offices in Eastbourne. I have a University of Brighton staff card so I have access to the library services, which is super useful for what I’m doing.”

Richard submitted his dissertation last month, so it’s been a quick turnaround for him to start his new role.

“I’ve been there over two weeks now. I knew this job was going to be really challenging but the challenge drives my motivation.

“For me, I enjoy seeing progress. In this case, it really could be an international company that capitalises on a real gap in the market.

“That would be great in two years to look back and think I had my stamp on that project.”

Since gaining the mKTP role Richard’s decided to do a chartership in management, which is something he wouldn’t have considered before.

“I’d definitely recommend the KTP. It offers you an extra two-years of professional development and not only that, but it also gives you a nice personal development budget too of £2,000 per year.”

Before starting his postgraduate degree at the University of Brighton Richard had been struggling to find the most suitable career path.

“I’d had three years of doing nothing after my first graduation – we’d had covid and I’d been furloughed for 18 months. I needed a new sense of direction.

“I’ve got a BA (hons) degree in music already, and I’ve been a performing musician before, which I loved doing and still love to be involved with but my progress in this new industry has been night and day difference in comparison. I’ve accomplished more in the past 12 months professionally whilst being at Brighton University than I did in the last 10 years. I have put a lot of hard work in this year and pushed myself.”

Richard won the Fitz Digital Ltd Award for the best digital marketing student earlier this year.

“I can’t complain about anything. I milked [Brighton uni] for everything it’s got – I think I’m just a good example of what can happen if you really go for it.”

We’re excited to see how Richard progresses in his new role – good luck Richard!

Interested in our Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme? Find out more on our website.