In conjunction with taking part in the Career Cartographies module as part of her English with Creative Writing course, Rebecca Jackson spent several weeks at Green Gecko, a digital advertising agency in Leeds.

Green Gecko Digital are a Leeds based digital company specialising in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Website Design and Social Media Management. They recently partnered with Leeds Beckett to offer placement opportunities to students from Cultural Studies & Humanities studying an innovative new online work-based learning module, Career Cartographies. Rebecca Jackson, a final year English with Creative Writing student spent several weeks at Green Gecko and has provided a reflection on her time working with Marco and his team as well as her experience in taking the Career Cartographies module.

‘After completing a placement at Green Gecko Digital, I found that this company has great values, and everyone is incredibly hard working. I felt welcomed as part of the team and saw first-hand how much they do for their clients. I would highly recommend completing a placement with Green Gecko if you want to get more information about SEO and the world of marketing, it has really benefited me and my degree! I can see why so many businesses trust Green Gecko with their websites and SEO, they do such a great job every single day. Marco and Louise are great mentors for anyone considering a marketing career, or even just someone exploring options! They are very knowledgeable and supportive, and my placement was never tedious or unenjoyable as a result!

The career Cartographies module seemed expertly devised, with the crucial use of Microsoft Teams helping students every step of the way. It quickly became my favourite module, with the learning and assessment processes being hands on and enjoyable. I would recommend this module to any students from Cultural Studies & Humanities who are unsure what to choose, as it is an excellent way to get your foot in the career door, and easily figure out a post-graduation plan. If you don’t want to be inundated with essays in your third year, and prefer to learn in a practical environment, then this is the module for you. I’m not suggesting it is an easy way out, it is just a nice break from dissertation and essay writing and gives the opportunity to learn and complete work in a different yet effective way.’

Ben Robertson, School Careers and Employability Consultant for Arts & Humanities and Module Co-Designer also commented “It’s fantastic to see how Rebecca has benefitted from undertaking the online Career Cartographies module; particularly her placement experience at Green Gecko, which was a core requirement -- and how she found the innovative module learning and assessment activities, allowing her to learn in a completely different way to facilitate her career development.”