10.12.07
Careers Fair prize winner raises a toast

Local Applied Geology student Michael Featherstone will be raising a toast this Christmas after being drawn as the prize winner at this year’s Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) Graduate Careers Fair. The prize, provided by the award winning Sharp’s Brewery in Rock, was a 36 pint keg of Doombar and a goodie bag containing a Sharps branded tee-shirt, bar towel, pint glass, bottle opener and gift set.

Eight hundred students and graduates from across Cornwall attended the fair to meet over fifty potential employers and business advisers at the Tremough Campus and entered the free prize draw. Michael, who is in his second year of a BSc degree course at the Camborne School of Mines (CSM) at Tremough, was delighted when he heard his name had been drawn, commenting: “I was amazed when I got the call! It’s a great prize and really good timing because we’re having our CSM Christmas Dinner this week, so I’ll have plenty of people to share it with.”

Michael moved to Falmouth from Manchester, attracted by the world class reputation of the Camborne School of Mines, part of the University of Exeter, and the outstanding location. The Careers Fair was an added benefit, as he explained: “It was really useful for me because there were quite a lot of geotech and geology companies there and I got some good contacts. I’ll definitely be applying to some of those companies in the future.”

Pub Company Sales Manager for Sharp’s, Adam Trethewy, presented Michael with the prize, commenting: “We are very pleased to provide the prize at this year’s event. Doombar is one of the fastest growing brands in England and placed in the world’s top 50 best beers so it is ideal for friends and family to share at Christmas time and appreciate a great local product. Sharps works closely with the Portman Group, the industry body which promotes responsible drinking, so we are glad to hear there are plenty of Michael’s colleagues who will help him share his prize.”

Adam himself grew up in Cornwall and graduated from the European Business Management School at the University of Wales and spent time running a hotel in Val D’Isere, France, before returning to Cornwall to further his career. He applied for a sales and marketing position with Sharp’s through the CUC’s graduate placement scheme, Unlocking Cornish Potential (UCP) and was so successful in contributing to the business development of the company during that time that he was offered a permanent position at the end of his project. Sharp’s has recently been voted Brewery of the Year 2008 at the Good Pub Guide Annual Trade Awards and has plans to double its brewing capacity in the future.

Adam explains: “I now look after between 500 and 600 leased pubs in the South West and work closely with the Head of Sales and Marketing on many aspects of promotion, from flyers and events to sponsorship and point of sale design. Every day is different and I have free rein to be creative and put forward my ideas for development. The company is considering taking on another UCP graduate on the production side and this will help us further our expansion plans. I recommend UCP to any graduate who wants to find a career in Cornwall.”

UCP has received support from Objective One and is managed by Cornwall College.

For further information please contact Emma Stallard, Combined Universities in Cornwall PR and Communications Officer on 01326 259908 or email emma.stallard@cuc.ac.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) project, both Phase 1 and Phase 2, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). Unlocking Cornish Potential is run by CornwallCollege, a partner of the CUC.

Editor's notes:

The Unlocking Cornish Potential (UCP) project is part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) initiative and is managed by Cornwall College. UCP builds on 5 years of highly successful, ESF funded activity by the University of Plymouth. The UCP project seeks to measurably improve the efficiency, competitiveness and growth potential of SMEs in Cornwall through the placement of graduates in companies to undertake business development projects. These projects can last from 6 to 12 months.

The Combined Universities in Cornwall is a dynamic and visionary partnership that is one of the driving forces behind Cornwall’s economic renaissance. This partnership combines the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, University College Falmouth, The Open University, The College of St Mark & St John, and the Peninsula Medical School, with Cornwall’s Further Education colleges - Cornwall College, Truro College and Penwith College. It aims not only to provide the students of the future with more choice and greater opportunities, but also to boost the economic fortunes of the region for the benefit of one and all. The CUC initiative has been invested in by the Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, the South West Regional Development Agency, Cornwall County Council and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Sharp's Brewery is a modern brewer of cask conditioned beer. Since its foundation in 1994 at Rock in Cornwall the brewery has grown rapidly to become the largest brewer of cask beer in the South West and brewer of Doom Bar, one of the UK's fastest growing beer brands.

Sharp's is committed to brewing great beer from quality ingredients, without artificial additives in probably the UK's most environmentally friendly brewery.

For more information on Sharps Brewery, please contact Rupert Warwick at Skyfield Communications on 01208 871175 or www.sharpsbrewery.co.uk.

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
The Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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