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How a Student Digital Skills Coach could help your business - for free

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in partnership with East Midlands Chamber is offering up to 12 hours of free digital support for businesses in areas across the East Midlands.

    Alpha Construction Ltd

    The support will be provided by a student Digital Skills Coach from NTU; businesses are invited to apply, highlighting the support they are looking for, and will be matched with the Coach with the most relevant skills.

    The skills on offer from the NTU Digital Skills Coaches include:

    • DATA MANAGEMENT AND ANALYSIS using Excel
    • EMAIL SKILLS – email distribution and maximising email impact
    • SOCIAL MEDIA tuition – platforms, set-up, posts etc
    • PAID MEDIA – explore paid socials, paid media and automated advertising
    • SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION (SEO) - improving website content to increase online ranking
    • DIGITAL MARKETING support –creating content for websites, newsletters and social media
    • Discover MARKETING TOOLS for your business
    • Using tools such as GRAMMARLY to check written content
    • Utilise MICROSOFT TEAMS to improve communications, information sharing across your team and hold virtual meetings
    • How AI TOOLS can support your business with research, data analysis or content writing
    • PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS to support your business
    • Produce ENGAGING PRESENTATIONS – make the most of presentation platforms such as Prezi, Canva and MS PowerPoint.

    There are also students with specialised experience in accounting packages, coding, photography, CAD, Rivet and ADOBE design suite.

    One business which has already accessed the support is Alpha Construction Ltd, which was looking for help with presentations, newsletters, social media marketing and production of marketing materials.

    Anthony Bamford, Managing Director, Alpha Construction Ltd said: “We have been able to push along our marketing requirements contained within our Business Development Plan. We have obtained a Canva account and are now producing our own newsletters, posters, social media posts, etc. We would not have been able to without this coaching.

    “We have gained LinkedIn followers and in terms of social media marketing raised our game to the next level. We have produced internal documents for Employee Value Propositions, such as Culture & Values statements that are professional. “

    This scheme is available for businesses based in areas across the East Midlands until March 2025, and the support provided could be in person or online. Interested businesses should email JobShop@ntu.ac.uk and address communications to Ellie Rice.

    • Notes for editors

      Press enquiries please contact Sarah McLeod, Corporate Communications Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8735, or via email.

      About Nottingham Trent University 

      Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has been named UK ‘University of the Year’ five times in six years, (Times Higher Education Awards 2017, The Guardian University Awards 2019, The Times and Sunday Times 2018 and 2023, Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023) and is consistently one of the top performing modern universities in the UK.

      It is the 3rd best modern university in the UK (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023). Students have voted NTU 1st in the UK for student employability (Uni Compare 2025)

      NTU is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with over 40,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across six campuses. It has an international student population of almost 7,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.

      NTU owns two Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for outstanding achievements in research (2015, 2021). The first recognises NTU’s research on the safety and security of global citizens. The second was awarded for research in science, engineering, arts and humanities to investigate and restore cultural objects, buildings and heritage. The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent.

      NTU was awarded GOLD in the national 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) assessment, as it was in 2019.

      NTU is a top 10 for sport (British Universities and Colleges Sport league table 2023). 
      NTU is the most environmentally sustainable university in the UK and second in the world (UI Green Metric University World Rankings, 2023).

    Published on 21 November 2024
    • Category: Press office