2008 Competition

What is the Shell STEP Programme?

• In brief, the Shell STEP programme is a UK - wide programme offering under-graduates project based work within small to medium sized businesses. To find out more from the Official Website, click the link or the Shell STEP logo above.
• During the Summer of 2008, Robinson's Fresh Foods registered with the scheme as we had identified the requirement to undertake an overview of our marketing structure and strategy.
• Following registration, the local Shell STEP coordinators match suitable candidates to the business requirement and allow the host company to make direct contact with the prospective candidate so as to arrange an interview and determine suitability.
• We made contact with our student, Anna Musgrove, who was in her penultimate year at the Isle of Man Business School. Anna was studying for a degree in Business Studies and had already attained a good working knowledge of marketing.
• Although our project was focused around marketing which inevitably concludes with the production of printed or electronic content, Anna's task was to scrutinise our procedures and identify any failings and investigate and present suggested solutions. Any literature that needed to be produced was outsourced to professional printers, produced from basic content compiled by Anna.
• We had already identified that one person was needed to coordinate this investigation , as existing staff were already fully utilised to perform their existing tasks and could not be removed to concentrate fully on this project.
• For the eight weeks that Anna worked with us she showed total professionalism and commitment to the project, working not only with our own team but also with our customers, to identify their exact requirements. A photographer and specialist printers where also required to be involved in the process and Anna excelled in her pivotal role coordinating all of the processes required to achieve a positive conclusion.
• We are proud to announce that Anna won the local heat of the competition against 18 other students, being nominated as the Most Enterprising Student. She now represents the Isle of Man at the forthcoming regional final to be held at British Aerospace, Blackburn, Lancashire on Thursday 28th August 2008 where she will compete against 8 other regional finalists. We wish her all the very best at this competition.
• There is no doubt that our involvement with the Shell STEP Programme has been hugely beneficial to our company but also of great benefit to Anna, who has acquired some new skills and also developed her many existing skills to a higher level. We all wish her every success in the future and whatever route her career eventually takes her, she will undoubtedly be a huge asset to her eventual employer.
• We look forward to seeing Anna again later in the year as she has been offered additional work with us to continue the ongoing development of our marketing procedures.

• Organisations wishing to receive further information about the initiative are requested to contact Ian Moncrief-Scott, Shell STEP Programme Manager, Department of Trade & Industry, Hamilton House, Peel Road, Douglas, on 682383,ims@manx.net