The work placement is a key element of the student’s learning experience. Experiential learning or “learning by doing” is recognised as one of the most successful way of embedding knowledge, skills and values. Alongside a body of theoretical knowledge and professional skill-sets, each student brings their own personality and attributes to the placement setting.

This year’s placements, co-ordinated by Danielle Kerins, Placement Development Officer, alongside the academic team of lecturers Sarah McCann, Lorcan Dunne & Noel Smyth, were a huge success with both students and host supervisors fully engaging with the new remote ways of working to which the industry has had to adapt.

James Flanagan from Monaghan who worked with Melissa Curry has stated

“My work placement was a positive experience. During the 5 weeks I took as much information as possible and met some incredible people. Everything that was familiar to me from college I got a chance to put into practice. Working with a bunch of new people and creative projects within the industry gave me more confidence in myself in terms of allowing my voice to be heard. Walking away from placement I can say that I have gained a huge amount about the creative world and have built up connections that could help me in the future”

Fellow classmate Hannah Casey from Dundalk who worked alongside James added:

Work placement was an eye opening experience for me. Although I was working remotely, I feel I had a hands on experience in applying my skills in the real world. It helped me learn how to adapt my knowledge gained from the course to the new creative industry, an industry that has been heavily effected by the pandemic. The experience has given me confidence in beginning my career when I graduate.

Feedback from Melissa Curry, Creative Director and their work supervisor, who is based in Dublin, is equally positive;

“As a team of three, we were excited to meet and explore the possibilities of creating a message of hope and love at this critical time, for my new gift brand PÓG  (the kiss).  We trusted each other and our abilities, and from that we built a small and meaningful production which was launched on Christmas Eve 2020.  All my thanks to Hannah and James who made our mission come alive.  I feel I learned so much for our experience together, and look forward to future collaborations”.

For Karla Farrell, from Dublin, who undertook her remote placement with Bell Media Ltd in Dundalk, she gave the following advice:

“Placement is an important time to utilise the skills you have learnt in college but it’s also an important time to branch out and try new things. Don’t go into placement thinking you are only good one at one thing, because chances are you’re not. You are great at many things, just haven’t had the chance to try out these different roles on projects. Use placement to challenge yourself and improve your skills. It might only seem like a small skill you have improved on but it will be a valued skill when you get out into the real world of filmmaking”,

Karla's supervisor, MD Rachel Hanna, stated

“We were absolutely thrilled with the DKIT Students during their placement with Bell Media this year. The Students proved to be a great asset to the business and showcased a number of very desirable skills that would prove invaluable to any company.   In particular, their creativity and digital toolbox along with self-management and working as part of a team. The standard was beyond what we anticipated and the quality of their work is second to none. We would highly recommend DKIT Students and we look forward to working with DKIT again in the future”.

Sarah McCann, lecturer on the Film & TV degree and part of the academic team co-ordinating the placement this year agrees, stated;

“It was a very positive experience for us all to hear how the students all adapted to the challenges of their placements during such a difficult time and worked to turn them into beneficial learning experiences.  The resilience that they have displayed over the last number of months will undoubtedly stand to them in the future”.