Martin McGinley talks about his time at Connect
I came to Connect for one week of work experience. At school I study advanced higher art and design and higher graphic communication because design has always interested me, so I wanted to find out about what they do and if it interested me to have a career in this business.
I met David Cameron chairman of Connect Communications at the train station and was taken to the office.
On my first day to get the most out of this week I had to learn the software package Indesign that they produce their various publications on. I also had to get to know the Apple Mac computers, which were new to me, and meet the workforce. After the first day was over I was exhausted, a nine to five day had taken its toll on me!
On day two it was up to me to earn my keep, I was given the responsibility to re-cover CDs for the archive and organise the disks into a suitable order to help the staff find which CD they needed. Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon I was let loose on Indesign and was given three page of the ESPC magazine Premier Living to redesign and put what I learnt on Monday into practice. I came across problems but the staff were always willing to help and talk me through the process especially Debbs and Scott in the design team.
On Thursday I was approached by Julia and Daniel from the editorial team to see if I wanted to do some editing work. My first task was to proof read a copy of TalentScotland that would then be ready for the printers. On the morning of my last day I had a go at mastering a certain type of layout on Indesign for Premier Living Magazine. After lunch it was time to go to the printers to print off next month's edition of Midlothian News. I got a taste of the printing cycle and the opportunity to see something from a computer screen, become a reality.
My week at Connect Communications has given me more of an insight into what a future career in this industry could be like. If I could I would leave school and work here as it is a brilliant and creative atmosphere with friendly and helpful people all working together as a team. Getting to use Apple Mac computers and learning the Indesign software has also been a learning curve I have enjoyed and I now know what to do if I come across it in the future. I would like to thank David Cameron for giving me this opportunity and all the staff for helping me through the week and answering my questions.
