ADLIB is invited to join the Weston College Industry Advisory Board (IAB)
Here at ADLIB, we are proud to share that we have been invited to be on the Weston College Industry Advisory Board (IAB). With the tech industry evolving at pace, Weston College has established this Digital Industry Advisory Board with the purpose to have direct input into the college curriculum.
Digital Industry Advisory Board members include ADLIB, UK Hydrographic Office, Zircon, TechSPARK, Ascot Group and Cardstream. The first meeting was held in April and boards will meet digitally three times a year to review and progress a tech education action plan, delivered by Weston College. Key objectives include raising the profile and awareness of the diverse range of careers and courses with both learners and employers and creating collaborative projects to address some of the challenges employers face when building a team for their business.
Dave Crew, Head of Business Growth and Employer Partnership at Weston College said: “We have seen a significant increase in the number of tech jobs in the West of England, specifically in Bristol, in the past 5 years. This sector growth has coincided with tech related courses being one of the fastest growing areas of our areas of our provision at Weston College, following our investment in a University Centre at the Winter Gardens in Weston-super-Mare. The Digital Industry Advisory Board will bring leading regional tech employers together to inform the current and future tech curriculum at Weston College, ensuring our graduates enter the workforce as both highly-skilled and confident employees, ready to be an asset to a business. I am delighted that ADLIB have agreed to join our Digital Industry Advisory Board, and share their expertise of finding exciting talent and building tech teams for businesses. I’m looking forward to seeing the results of this exciting project, connecting industry and education.”
More about Weston College this way.
Weston College is one of the largest education providers in the UK with over 30,000 course enrolments annually. The College has seen its digital technology education provision grow significantly in the past three years, a result of its investment in STEM related courses, and state-of-the-art facilities including its University Centre, based at the Winter Gardens in Weston-super-Mare which has seen an £18m redevelopment in the town. There is a recognition that Weston College, alongside universities in the region, has the future workforce for employers.
Sharing the Wisdom – Motion Graphics
Next up as part of our “Sharing the Wisdom” series: Daniel Simmonds, Motion Graphic Designer and Video Editor at Proctor + Stevenson. We caught up to understand the wisdom he’s gathered during his career across various creative roles, leading him to where he is today.
Daniel:
I’ve got over 10 years’ experience in the creative industry, working in various agencies – starting out as a graphic designer and transitioning to motion graphics. I now work at Proctor & Stevenson as a Motion Designer & Video Editor.
I work alongside Creatives, Copywriters, Voiceover Artists and many more in conceptualising ideas and bringing them to life with dedication and hard work. Generating ideas, storyboarding, animating graphics, editing video and engineering audio all from concept through to delivery.
Now, in an attempt to capture some of the wisdom you’ve gained as a professional so far, what are the stand-out things you’ve learned while working within the creative industry and becoming a specialist within motion graphics specifically?
Focus on purpose. Always think about your client and their audience. Using the latest trends, plugins and styles might scratch your creative itch and make your work look swish, but I’ve found that ideas and visual communication work best when kept simple and purposeful.
Try not to overstretch yourself. I’ve learnt the hard way that making sure you actually take your lunch hour and you work the hours you’re supposed to work benefits you in the long term. It’s all too easy to take your day to day work home with you until the early hours, but most of the time it’s really not worth it (unless you’re truly enjoying it). It’s just as important to recharge, listen to some good music and take a break from the screen.
Don’t be afraid to take risks. Experiment with software or new creative paths. I had never considered animation as a career until having been thrown into the deep end about 10 years ago. After one large and scary project using After Effects, it unknowingly kickstarted my career as a Motion Designer. Been tweaking keyframes and staring at render progress bars ever since!
Keep a record. Whilst you’re working, make sure to keep a folder with your final pieces of work in. Whilst working in agencies or freelance, the rate at which work is completed can be rapid, so you quickly forget what you’ve achieved. Not only is it good to review how things are going, how much time is dedicated to types of work etc, but for your own portfolio.
Thanks so much for sharing!
We’ve partnered with Net Zero Sessions
Bringing you a series of gatherings for business leaders on the climate crisis.
As a B Corp, balancing profit and purpose and considering the wider impact of business on society and the planet is extremely important to us – the Net Zero Sessions will explore this topic, for attendees to come away with clear, practical examples of changes that they can implement today.
During COVID-19, there has been much talk surrounding the opportunity to learn from what was and making positive change. The impact on our environment, the way we work, our mental health and the use of technology that supports a more efficient and sustainable way of living and working. The B Corp concept sits at the heart of much of this, we’re continually engaging with clients and organisations wishing to join us on our journey. Aligning ourselves with the Net Zero series is a perfect opportunity to support and to raise awareness of key issues and opportunities.
During June, the Net Zero Sessions aim is to build a new community around this critical cause, by bringing together business leaders and policymakers from scale-ups to blue chips to connect and find creative ways to collaborate in this time of climate crisis.
We are looking forward to hearing from speakers such as
Greg Jackson, CEO & Founder, Octopus Energy
Richard Walker, Managing Director, Iceland Foods
Vicky Murray, Sustainability Manager, Pukka Herbs
Kate Sandle, Director of Programmes & Engagement, B Lab UK
Phil Haughton, Founder, Better Food
The mission aims to inspire and inform business leaders looking to accelerate their sustainability strategy, on topics including balancing profit and purpose, sustainable retail challenges and customer engagement.
The Net Zero Sessions will also support Offset Earth, as a charity partner, who plant trees and fund carbon offsetting projects around the world. They’ll receive 100% of the £10 suggested donation fee per attendee.
To find out more and join us visit www.net-zero-summit.com
Life as a Scrum Master
Managing a Remote Design Team – feat. Just Eat
Life as a Brand Manager
How we are evolving with the world around us
