Summer of sustainable fashion for GCU student
A Masters student is using her summer break to gain more experience in the world of sustainable fashion.
Elisha Kane started her MSc International Fashion Marketing degree in September 2021 having previously completed an Undergraduate in History and Politics at the University of Edinburgh.
She opted to study her Masters over two years, giving her the opportunity to complete professional practice and gain valuable work experience alongside her degree. Elisha now finds herself in the middle of an eight-week internship with ACS Clothing (Advanced Clothing Solutions) – the EU’s largest Circular Fashion Hub.
“Louise McBride emailed me about the opportunity to become a Sustainability Assistant at ACS. I had a look at the job description and thought it looked really interesting,” explained Elisha.
“A lot of my previous work experience focused on communication strategies and content creation, so I thought it would be really interesting to go into sustainability and see all the elements of that. Given I’m coming from a different background with my undergraduate degree, it made sense for me to get work experience while I study.”
Elisha added: “I’ve always loved fashion. I love reading about it and hearing about recent trends. I’ve always believed in sustainability and doing the best we can for the planet – I think it’s the Gen Z in me!
“Studying the course has definitely made me more aware of the detrimental effects of fast fashion and all the different elements that can be put together to create a more sustainable society. Before I started university, I had no idea about circular economy and closing the loop, so it’s been really interesting to learn about that.”
Elisha’s internship has allowed her to develop that knowledge further, while also finding out more about what ACS offers the wider community.
She explained: “I started in July and so far I’ve been learning about social impact through helping with ACS’s Modern Apprenticeships. ACS have an amazing programme in place where they work with the warehouse staff to help them gain qualifications through the SQA. It’s been great to play a part in it. I must admit, I didn’t expect to be involved in something like that but it’s really interesting getting the chance to hear about the social care side of the organisation - especially given my background in politics.”
With the next step in her career just around the corner, Elisha is grateful for the experience and would encourage other students to follow in her footsteps.
She said: “It’s giving me the chance to learn about sustainability as a whole. Even learning about corporate social responsibility has helped me gain a different insight into how the organisation operates.
“I’d encourage everyone to take up work experience opportunities. When you leave university it’s not just about what you get in your degree, because everyone has some sort of classification. It’s about gaining experience and bringing something different to employers. If you have written evidence that you’ve got all these skills and an employer can vouch for you, then that makes all the difference.”
Elisha added: “My internship is helping me put a lot of my skills into practice which is really important because it’s so easy to finish university and not actually know how to move into a workplace.
“I’m hoping this is exactly the sort of thing that will help me get into employment at the end of my degree!”
By Ross Clark
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