Aspiring Designer Amelia from Nelson and Colne College Sixth Form shows that she’s got what it takes on her summer internship with Mackintosh.
Students at the College have the opportunity to take part in a highly successful Business Career Academy. This is supported by Career Academies UK, which is a national charity that links schools and colleges with employers to help prepare young people for the world of work. In addition to visits from local business leaders and trips to companies, students on the Career Academy also have an opportunity to complete a paid summer internship.
Students from the Career Academy have spent their summer internships working with a variety of different employers, including the College’s own Marketing and Student Services departments and their affiliated Business Unit, Matthew Kibble Transport, Lloyds Bank, Graham Engineering Ltd and of course, Mackintosh.
17 year old Amelia Ward is an A Level student at Nelson and Colne College Sixth Form, studying Art, Business Studies, History and Textiles and Fashion. Amelia, who wishes to work in the fashion industry, was delighted with her Career Academy Internship placement at the Nelson factory of the world-famous Mackintosh. Since 1823, Mackintosh has produced waterproof raincoats, made from rubberised fabric.
Amelia has been working under the guidance of Elaine Widdowfield, Technical Design Manager at Mackintosh. Elaine has been impressed with Amelia’s work ethic and ability to grasp new situations and tasks, saying that, “Amelia blended in with everyone; she just fit in right away. It’s been an incredibly busy time for us here at Mackintosh, so she has had to learn a variety of different tasks in a short period of time. She’s risen to every challenge set, and has completed all tasks asked of her without issue or fuss.”
During her internship placement at Mackintosh, Amelia’s roles have included cutting out patterns, digitising (putting patterns onto the computer), and passing information to the cutting room and collecting spec sheets from the cutting room. Amelia has even managed to create a working product entirely from scratch: she created a tabard, and brought it all the way from concept to production.
Amelia said, “The Career Academy has been great and I have especially enjoyed my internship at Mackintosh as it combined my interests in business and fashion.”
In the photo: Technical Design Manager Elaine Widdowfield, the tabard created and produced during the internship programme, and Nelson and Colne College Sixth Form intern Amelia Ward.
