By Sara Doktorova
A programme launched in lockdown is introducing a fresh bunch of De Montfort University (DMU) students to creative skills with star guests visiting to inspire them.
The DMU Made creative industries programme which is running from April 18 to June 6 has been around for three years now and has been developed in that time.
Simon Baines is the enterprise project manager of the media industries programme and looks after extracurricular entrepreneurship activities at DMU.
“This program is led by the student demand, so you might be studying nursing or psychology or law, but things like knowing how to write, knowing how to blog, make YouTube content, is transferable,” he said. “So many students want to do it, so that’s why we are doing it.”
So far this year, DMU Made has included a performing arts event featuring Michael Augur, from Britain’s Got Talent winners Collabro, YouTube content creation led by celebrity chef Kwoklyn Wan (This Morning/Prime Video), podcasting and radio presenting with Kiss FM’s Sam Darlaston, breaking into the music industry with Dr Yasin El Ashrafi (HQ recording), and personal branding and networking, graphic design with James Mobbs (on-screen graphic designer MOTDX, Radio 1, The BRITS),
Events still to come include film and videography (May 23) with Lee Wheeler-Tomes of Orange Fox Studios, and how to create your own website on a budget (June 4).
Simon and his team started this program in lockdown and ran it out from the LCB depot in the Leicester city centre.
At the time, with the campus was closed, the university could not do anything physically, but a lot of students wanted the interaction and at the same time students wanted to know about practical skills, such as how to build a website and how to get into graphic design, etc.
At first, Simon and his team responded by running quite a small programme to help those students out, but each year since they have expanded it, with even more demand for the current programme.
This year, they have combined a couple of other activities to make one big programme which is running across eight weeks – with about 500 students signed up to attend.
Mr Baines, 43, said: “This program is here to help you gain those transferable skills that you need in future jobs.”
For more details or to sign up, visit https://events.demontfortsu.com/event/dmu-made-creative-industries-programme/224955
