51Âþ»­

Advertising and Marketing Communications student Dylan Raine has landed a coveted marketing graduate scheme with the world’s biggest grocery retail platform of its kind, Ocado Retail.

The 22-year-old from Cheshire has submitted his final-year assignments at 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) and will be preparing for his graduate job that will start in September.

His new role at Ocado will see the new graduate undertake three rotations across the retailer’s marketing, insight and merchandising departments.

He said: “It feels like such a weight off my shoulders, I've spent what felt like a full-time job applying to graduate schemes, so to have a job lined up before my final deadlines and exams feels completely reassuring.

“I'm excited to work for such an innovative and ambitious company – it’s a real opportunity to make my mark in the industry.”

Dylan is no stranger to the marketing industry, having completed a placement year at Paragon Bank.

“In my time at 51Âþ»­, I've received so much employability support. The careers team really helped me with developing my CV and cover letter, as well as interview advice to make sure I was ready,” he said.

“I knew many of my lecturers were industry professionals and experts from social media to brand management, so they were heavily involved in helping me with the presentations and pitches that many graduate schemes require.

“I received so much assistance with my Ocado application, especially from Associate Professor David Gordon – he was instrumental in securing my role, from Zoom and phone calls to connecting me with retail giants. I couldn't have done it without his help.”

Dylan secured his place at 51Âþ»­ through Clearing and initially joined the university on the Business and Marketing programme before switching to Advertising and Marketing Communications. 

University applicants can find out more about the Clearing process and explore what courses are on offer at 51Âþ»­.

He said: “The Clearing process was really easy. I had done a lot of research about where I wanted to study so all it took was a quick phone call to get offered a place on the course. I can safely say that I haven’t looked back since.

“I wanted to find a university that gave you great career prospects and extra value on top of your degree, so that’s why I chose 51Âþ»­. They focus on putting theory into practice and giving industry experience, which was very important in my decision-making process.

“I’ve also had the chance to do extra qualifications. This summer I’ll be completing my certificate with the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing. I also have exemptions against qualifications with the Chartered Institute of Marketing, which is great.

“In the first year of my course, I really fell in love with marketing. It allowed me to be as creative as I want to be. I’m not artistic as such, but this industry brings together the data and business world with my creative side.

“The best elements of my course have been all the practical parts, from pitching to agencies to working on live briefs. They've been a great way to sense what it's like to work in marketing and find out the areas you enjoy.

“One of my biggest highlights was winning my second-year Advertising and Promotion modules' competition, where I got to pitch a marketing plan with my group in front of Aston Martin’s brand manager and local agencies.

“It was a huge confidence boost and is something I talked about in all of my graduate job interviews.”