Skip to content

Nottingham Trent University hosts a futures-focused creative expo connecting industry expertise and opportunity with student talent

LEAP, the Creative Industries Expo, is a free event designed specifically to enable creative sector companies and organisations to connect with Nottingham Trent University's student talent.

    LEAP Expo Entrance

    The LEAP Expo concept was devised by the School of Art & Design, in partnership with the University’s Employability team, to directly address the growing need for skills and innovation within the UK’s creative economy, which, as the fastest growing sector, is currently worth in the region of £100 billion annually.

    With an established design history dating back to its formation as one of the UK’s earliest art schools in 1843, Nottingham Trent University (NTU) benefits from outstanding links with industry, professional organisations and partners in the creative and digital sectors on local, national and international levels.

    The 2019 LEAP event welcomed over 50 regional and national companies and professional organisations to NTU’s flagship Newton building in the City Campus. The range of businesses attending represented recruitment and work opportunities, as well as offering career advice and guidance, across areas such as; graphic design, film and animation, IT and digital skills, branding, fashion and knitwear design, marketing, merchandising, product design, photography, theatre and performance, architecture and interior design. Almost 1000 students attended during the day.

    The visual identity for the event also involved NTU student creativity.  A group of postgraduate students from our visual communication courses were given the opportunity to develop the design and chose the theme of ‘alchemy: a career catalyst’ on which to base a series of high impact banners, branded materials and supporting visuals.

    NTU’s industry Partnerships, Local Engagement and Commercial Services (PLECS) team, hosted an after-event network gathering for the exhibitors who attended the day, offering a chance to give feedback, talk to academic subject experts, and find out more about working with NTU across creative subject areas.

    Maggie Burnett, Strategic Partnership Manager for Creative and Digital, explained: “This event is a fantastic opportunity for our creative partners to meet our students in person. In an informal and relaxed setting, students across all years of study can get information and insight into a wealth of creative career and work experience opportunities, from an impressive range of companies and organisations they would be hard pushed to find under one roof anywhere else! It’s also a chance for our creative contacts to gain significant awareness of the talents and skills on offer from NTU, and to start conversations that may lead to new collaborations and ways of working together.”

    Industry collaborations, briefs and live projects, work experience, research and professional development are key elements of all NTU courses connecting with the creative and digital sectors.

    In a speech to the attendees, Michael Marsden, Dean of the School of Art & Design, thanked everyone who had attended and contributed to the event, acknowledging the significance of the creative economy, and the diversity of the sectors represented.

    Strategic partnerships at NTU

    We play a leading role in the social, cultural, economic and environmental development of the City, East Midlands and United Kingdom. We deploy our resources and expertise in close alignment with strategic partners and engage with a wide range of organisations in order to enhance their prospects and those of our students.

    Find out more about our sectors and partnerships on our Business and Employers website.

    Published on 9 April 2019
    • Subject area: Art and design
    • Category: Business; Current students; School of Art & Design

    Still need help?

    Business and Employers
    +44 (0)115 848 8899