Graduates need guidance from industry and tutors

In response to ‘College tutors need to stand up and be counted’ (DW 1 September), I am writing to completely agree with Darren Bolton from Gyro International and his frustration with ill-prepared graduates who visited his graduate open day.

Working for Major Players, recruiting junior/middleweight designers for the creative industries, I see many candidates who need to spend a lot more time preparing for the job market. This is why Major Players currently visits various colleges, in order to give students advice and prepare them for interviews.

Preparation for graduates should start with university. The design industry should also be more proactive in preparing students for the working world. There are three simple steps that are essential preparation for creative graduates:

• Tutors should tell students how to prepare their portfolios throughout the course, so they don’t have to pull them together at the last minute.

• Tutors should help students articulate their ideas, so that they will have more confidence in presenting when being interviewed for the first time.

• A greater number of industry creatives should build links with colleges. They could establish workshops or set briefs to demonstrate the competitive nature of the creative industry.

A focused graduate who is determined and enthusiastic will bring fresh ideas and energetic thinking, something that should be encouraged throughout their university life by tutors and professionals alike. Tutors and the design industry must remember that, ‘Today’s juniors are tomorrow’s creative directors’.

Bolton has had the foresight to take the time to assess this year’s graduates. I hope this provides a positive example to the large number of designers who neglect these juniors, but are currently in need of talented middleweights.

Carly Broome, Creatives, Major Players, London WC2H