Cumbrian teens fly the flag for creative careers as design competition winner crowned
Competition winner Jacob Murray, from Appleby Grammar School, alongside (l-r) headteacher Elaine Sargent, Jo Lappin Chief Executive at the Cumbria LEP, and Katy Modlin, Careers Lead at the school.
TEENS across Cumbria have been flying the flag for creative careers thanks to a logo design competition run by the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP).
Cumbria’s Year 9s were challenged to put their creative talents to good use and come up with a colourful ‘Our Future’ campaign logo, to be used by the CLEP’s Careers Hub service.
Over 150 entries were judged by Marick Communications, an expert graphic design agency who set the brief. Jacob Murray – a pupil at Appleby Grammar School – was crowned the winner. His triumphant design features the blues and greens of the Cumbrian flag inside the shape of the county boundary!
The young sportsman, a black belt in Taekwondo, scooped £100 vouchers for JD Sports, as well £500 for his school to support a careers-based school trip next year.
Jacob’s champion design will now be used on leaflets, posters and in lessons across Cumbria to show how activities in schools relate to careers. Runners-up attended both Appleby Grammar and Queen Elizabeth School in Kirby Lonsdale.
Jo Lappin, Chief Executive at the Cumbria LEP, who selected the final winner from a shortlist of five, said:
“The artwork submitted was eye-catching, imaginative, and responded to the design brief perfectly – it was very hard to choose a winner. All of the young people that took part deserve our congratulations for their excellent work, particularly Jacob, who’s design will be used across the campaign.
“It’s really important that our young people are provided with the opportunity to develop the skills and talents that they will need in the world of work, and that they get a real sense of the diverse, creative career paths on offer in Cumbria.”
(Jacob Murray, from Appleby Grammar School, scooped the top prize in the county-wide logo design competition run by the Cumbria LEP.)
With many youngsters missing out on work experience due to COVID-19, the focus has been on creating tasks that give young people a taste of the world of work. The competition aimed to recreate the scenario of being a professional designer, working to a creative brief set by a client.
CLEP’s Careers Hub works with 52 schools and colleges helping and supporting them to showcase the career opportunities available in Cumbria, preparing pupils to make informed choices about their next best steps.
The ‘Our Futures’ campaign is aimed at getting the next generation fired up about the fabulous careers that are available in the region. Cumbria’s working population has decreased over the last 25 years, but there are excellent career opportunities in a wide range of sectors including clean energy, manufacturing, tourism and the creative industries, to name but a few.