Journalism graduate Lucy Amers has gone from writing her own blog at university to handling the communications for a FTSE 250 Index company.
The 21-year-old, from East Yorkshire, has swapped writing in her spare time for telling the nation about the latest news being created by national housebuilder Bellway.
Lucy, who studied at Newcastle University, has joined Bellway’s PR and communications team at the company’s head office in the city.
She said: “It is a massive leap from documenting what I was doing during my journalism course to what I am doing now. Bellway is a huge company with a multi-million pound turnover that employs thousands of staff and it has been a steep learning curve so far but a very enjoyable one.
“Many PR opportunities for graduates are at a local level within smaller companies, so I consider myself extremely fortunate to be working in a position that allows me to have so much responsibility and experience.”
Lucy is one of 30 successful candidates from 1,500 applicants who applied for a graduate trainee position in 2022 and has now started with the company.
The developer, which has 22 divisions across the UK, has hired the graduates to fill various roles throughout the company. This graduate intake includes university leavers from across England, Scotland and Wales, who will each learn about all aspects of the business during their two-year training programme.
Lucy, who lives in Newcastle, said: “I studied journalism at university because I wanted a career-focused education that would allow me to use my creativity and writing skills, and I discovered my interest in public relations through the optional modules we were given. In my first year, it became clear to me that this was the path I wanted to take rather than becoming a journalist.
“In my role, I have already been heavily involved in setting up and running an internal PR campaign to inform our employees about our ‘Better with Bellway’ sustainability programme. This is a strategy which will see the company reduce carbon emissions, become an employer of choice and forge stronger connections with customers and local communities.
“Since joining, I’ve felt incredibly welcomed by people at all levels of the organisation, and there is a real sense of company culture within the office. The connections I’ve made have also been invaluable, and the graduate programme is carefully designed to make the most of your two years on the scheme.”
Paul Lawler, Group Head of Communications, said: “Lucy is a really quick learner and has already proved herself to be a brilliant addition to the communications team at Bellway. She has fitted in well and her natural ability as a self-starter who uses her own initiative is a tremendous asset.
“The recent launch of our ‘Better with Bellway’ programme makes this an extremely exciting time for the company. This is an ambitious initiative we are keen to tell everyone about, be they employees, customers, the business community or the general public.
“It is a competitive market for employers who are seeking the best graduate talent and we are therefore incredibly pleased to have someone with Lucy’s credentials as an integral member of our communication team. We are looking forward to further improving the ways in which we convey our messages both internally and externally and Lucy will be at the forefront of that.”
Bellway has already begun its search for this year’s graduate trainees. For more information about careers with Bellway see http://bellwaycareers.co.uk
