Francisco’s Marine South East placement
For the last 3 months Marine South East has hosted Francisco Mendez, a business administration graduate from the University of Murcia in Spain.
The work placement was facilitated through the 'Leonardo' scheme, part of the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme which aims to build a skilled workforce across Europe. UK organisations work with European partners to exchange best practice, increase staff expertise and develop learner's skills.
During his time with Marine South East, Francisco has been validating the outputs of Marine South East's 'Global Opportunities' research. Produced by K-Matrix, the research, which is amongst the most comprehensive commissioned in recent years, has been compiled into a report that will prove an invaluable reference for businesses wishing to establish the size and location of current or potential marine markets. The report includes UK sales figures for 844 marine activities including commercial, leisure, superyacht and ports data as well as information on international markets for over 200 countries.
Before returning to Spain, Francisco looked back on his time in Southampton:
"I have obtained a comprehensive knowledge of global marine markets and developed new skills in manipulating data and identifying opportunities for regional marine companies. This placement has allowed me to participate actively in the company's daily routine whilst learning detailed information about the UK marine sector. I have been able to access multiple information sources including the British Marine Federation, Crown Estates and K-Matrix. This has been a great opportunity for me to put into practice knowledge acquired during my university studies."
Francisco is the third post-graduate Spanish student to complete a placement with Marine South East. The experience has been very positive for both parties. As well as completing some very useful work, staff at Marine South East and Francisco have enjoyed gaining valuable insights to each other's working practices and social cultures.
High-calibre post graduate students such as Francisco are always looking for placements with suitable UK companies. The scheme represents great value for both parties. In return for hosting Francisco, Marine South East only paid for his accommodation within the University of Southampton. All other costs have been met by the Leonardo scheme.
The Leonardo programme is open to any UK organisation involved in vocational training. If you think your company could benefit from participating please see: http://www.leonardo.org.uk/
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