Student Name: Ruby
Pathways Programme: Pathways to Arts, Culture and Heritage
Internship Role: Marketing Assistant
Internship Employer: Sidmouth Museum, Sid Vale Association
Summary of Organisation: The Sid Vale Association (SVA) is a volunteer run charitable trust that is focused on safeguarding and promoting the heritage of the Sid Valley. SVA volunteers manage and operate Sidmouth Museum which is very popular and well-reviewed by tourist and resident visitors. The museum holds important collections and archives. These include an award-winning geological collection, valuable pieces of (Honiton) lace and materials relating to Sidmouth’s significant historical connections with royalty. There are also materials relating to literary figures and texts and, leading scientists who were resident in the town. The SVA archive of material, film and oral historical artefacts arising from the Sidmouth Folk Festival is of national importance in the field of (English) Folk Culture and potentially international importance for researchers in for example ethnomusicology. The festival is celebrating its 70th anniversary. A significant programme of research is in planning. The museum is staffed by a team of approximately 15 volunteers. A small team of volunteers’ documents and conserves archives ‘behind the scenes’. There is a friendly and welcoming working culture and commitment to learning, research and communication.
Please briefly outline the project/tasks/responsibilities you worked on during your Professional Pathways internship:
“The main task that I completed during my internship was a presentation where I showcased the research and planning I’d done to create marketing strategies for the museum to target specific visitor demographics. I was able to use marketing research that the museum had collected, as well as talk to the museum’s volunteers and members of the tourism industry in Sidmouth. In addition, I had the opportunity to do more concrete things, like produce posters to market the museum’s upcoming exhibition and write a paragraph to be posted on a partner organisation’s website. The most valuable experience however, was probably managing communications with a wide range of different people in order to narrow down my objectives for the project and receive advise from these experts.”
How has the Professional Pathways programme helped you in taking the next steps in your career?
“The training talks were particularly helpful in teaching me about the different roles and career paths within this sector. Last year, I did the marketing pathway, and after my internship I was unsure whether I wanted to pursue a career in that industry. However, this year, the marketing role within a creative organisation was really fulfilling, and reassured me that I would indeed like to go into marketing. Therefore, it helped to give me direction in my career journey.”