Joshua
Helm-Cowley

Why NTU…

What inspired you to study your subject and what was your experience of studying your course at NTU?

I’d always had an interest in politics and looked at universities all over the country before deciding on Nottingham Trent University. What really drew me to NTU was the emphasis they put on work experience and your career development. Everybody has a degree these days, so you really need to go that extra mile to stand out for jobs and the work experience that NTU helped me secure has been vital in my career to date.

Studying Politics at NTU was brilliant, the lecturers were always willing to help and there’s a huge variety of modules in the Politics course so you can really focus in on what interests you. There’s also a huge range of different sports and societies for you to join, which you’ll want to do in order to get that vital Ocean Wednesday ticket!

Placement…

Did you complete any work placements or other work-like experience on your course? If so, tell us about your experience – where did you go, what did you do, did the skills you gained support your current role?

While studying at NTU I undertook a paid internship in the office of Ben Bradley, the then MP for Mansfield. The internship lasted for my whole undergraduate degree and gave me important access to various Members of Parliament. In this time, I gained a vital insight into the workings of an MP’s office and, particularly during the 2019 election campaign, around how to run an effective political campaign.

This internship included days within Westminster where I also got to see how both government and Parliament operate and be a part of campaigns within Westminster. Following my degree, I then went to work Ben for three years as his Parliamentary Assistant, focused on his campaigns within Westminster.

Your graduate journey

What is your current job role? What does it involve? What was your journey post-graduation to where you are now?

Currently I am on a career break following working for two Members of Parliament, including a Minister of State and volunteering on one of the recent Conservative leadership campaigns.

Post-graduation I worked for Ben Bradley as his Parliamentary Assistant in Westminster before also taking up another role with Lee Rowley, the then MP for North East-Derbyshire and Minister for Housing, as his Senior Communications Officer. I took up these roles on a job-share basis, meaning I had to balance the workload of two Members of Parliament effectively.

Following the election in July I then volunteered on Kemi Badenoch’s successful leadership campaign on the digital side, as well as assisting with some events.

Skills

How does the knowledge and skills you developed at NTU support you in your current role?

The modules I chose to study at NTU focused heavily on political communication and UK politics as a whole. What I learned on these modules has proved to be crucial in my career to date with my roles heavily focusing on political marketing and parliamentary campaigning.

Without the theoretical underpinnings that modules like Media, Power and Politics provided, I would not have been able to effectively deploy political marketing concepts and would not have progressed to the Senior Communications Officer to a Minister of State. Ultimately, I owe a lot of my career to date to my time at NTU and the knowledge I gained from the BA Politics course.