Top design businesses from the South West will soon be passing on their industry knowledge to the next generation of designers, in a scheme developed and run by the South West Design Forum.
Design Buddy matches up talented design students and professionals for one-to-one mentoring, and has kicked off to a positive start, as well as being a first in the industry.
On the 13th October, the mentors who have been selected for students attending the Arts University College at Bournemouth were trained so that they, and the students, can get the most from the Buddy experience.
Karen Stockdale, manager of the South West Design Forum, said: “The Design Buddy scheme is a chance for the students to get the inside knowledge on what the design industry is really like and how to transfer successfully from being a design student to being a design professional. We received a lot of positive feedback during the mentors training day and we hope that this is a model that can be used again to nurture and encourage people into a design industry that is prospering here in the South West.”
The next stage is for each Design Buddy to meet with the students so that they can unleash their expert knowledge on the next generation of designers.
The development programme invests in the future of design in the South West and will be rolled out across the region, with the mentors being sourced from the design networks across the South West. Mentors for the AUCB students have come from Dorset Design Forum, who have supported the scheme, and are part of the South West Design Forum.