Offering placements is a moral duty for established groups

At Turquoise, we’re always on the look-out for fresh new talent, which means we get to chat to quite a few graduates. So I found your News Analysis piece ‘Suffering for their craft’ (DW 24 April) very interesting.

Work experience should be an integral part of the development of any designer. For students and new graduates, it is a great opportunity to get experience of different areas of design and provides a better understanding of the processes and idiosyncrasies of the industry.

This makes them better prepared to survive and flourish as designers in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Ultimately, it makes them more employable – and they’ll have contacts to call upon.

For the employer, it’s a great chance to establish relationships with potential employees. It can be hard work and time-consuming, but we have an almost moral duty to help our graduates and ensure that the quality of young blood coming into the industry continues to improve.

Juan Pedraza, Creative director, Turquoise, London WC1