Prize Winner Raises a Toast
Combined Universities in Cornwall press release
Local Applied Geology student Michael Featherstone will be raising a toast this Christmas after being drawn as the prize winner at this year's Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) Graduate Careers Fair. The prize, provided by the award winning Sharp's Brewery in Rock, was a 36 pint keg of Doombar and a goodie bag containing a Sharps branded tee-shirt, bar towel, pint glass, bottle opener and gift set.
Eight hundred students and graduates from across Cornwall attended the fair to meet over fifty potential employers and business advisors at the Tremough campus and entered the free prize draw. Michael, who is in his second year of a BSc degree course at the Camborne School of Mines (CSM) at Tremough, was delighted when he heard his name had been drawn, commenting, "I was amazed when I got the call! It's a great prize and really good timing because we're having our CSM Christmas Dinner this week, so I'll have plenty of people to share it with."
Michael moved to Falmouth from Manchester, attracted by the world class reputation of the Camborne School of Mines, part of the University of Exeter, and the outstanding location. The Careers Fair was an added benefit, as he explained, "It was really useful for me because there were quite a lot of geotech and geology companies there and I got some good contacts. I'll definitely be applying to some of those companies in the future."
Pub Company Sales Manager for Sharp's, Adam Trethewy, presented Michael with the prize, commenting, "We are very pleased to provide the prize at this year's event. Doombar is one of the fastest growing brands in England and placed in the world's top 50 best beers so it is ideal for friends and family to share at Christmas time and appreciate a great local product. Sharps works closely with the Portman Group, the industry body which promotes responsible drinking, so we are glad to hear there are plenty of Michael's colleagues who will help him share his prize."
Adam himself grew up in Cornwall and graduated from the European Business Management School at the University of Wales and spent time running a hotel in Val D'Isere, France, before returning to Cornwall to further his career. He applied for a sales and marketing position with Sharp's through the CUC's graduate placement scheme, Unlocking Cornish Potential (UCP) and was so successful in contributing to the business development of the company during that time that he was offered a permanent position at the end of his project. Sharp's has recently been voted Brewery of the Year 2008 at the Good Pub Guide Annual Trade Awards and has plans to double its brewing capacity in the future.
Adam explains, "I now look after between 500 and 600 leased pubs in the South West and work closely with the Head of Sales and Marketing on many aspects of promotion, from flyers and events to sponsorship and point of sale design. Every day is different and I have free rein to be creative and put forward my ideas for development. The company is considering taking on another UCP graduate on the production side and this will help us further our expansion plans. I recommend UCP to any graduate who wants to find a career in Cornwall."
UCP has received support from Objective One and is managed by Cornwall College.
