Oliver Butler
Junior Creative Media Designer
“I don’t feel like I’m on a digital learning placement – I feel like I’m part of a world-class, creative team of digital learning designers.”
Dynamic Insights
Digital learning placements: inspiring the next generation
BY OLLIE, FREYA AND ELIAS
24 JUNE 24
Out of all the digital learning placements available, we might be biased, but we think a student’s time at Dynamic is well-spent. But it’s not about us; it’s about the students. Now that this year’s digital media placement students are halfway through their time at Dynamic, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the impact they’ve made in such a short space of time.
This year, we’ve had three student placements in total, two junior creative developers and one junior creative media designer. So their presence has been felt right across the business. And they’ve helped to deliver some excellent elearning solutions.
Let’s take a look at what they’ve been up to.
Freya Caine
Junior Creative Developer
“I wanted to gain experience applying technical skills in the real world. Working directly with huge clients has been really exciting.”
Elias Chadwick
Junior Creative Developer
“I’ve always been a creative person … but my time at Dynamic has helped me to take my web development and problem-solving skills to the next level.”
Oliver Butler
“Hi, I’m Ollie and I’m originally from Sunderland. I’m currently in my third year studying Creative Media Technology at Leeds Beckett University but have spent the last year on the digital learning placement with Dynamic as a Junior Creative Media Designer.
I’m a mature student, so was a bit apprehensive about doing a placement, but I wanted to grow my understanding of the industry and gain first-hand experience working as part of a creative team, so decided that Dynamic was the perfect opportunity to do just that.“
Tell us about your time as a placement…
“Well, I might be a placement student, but it really doesn’t feel like it. From day one, I’ve been given the opportunity and freedom to experiment and contribute to the team, getting involved in creative meetings and exploring new software and features to develop my skills.
I’ve picked up so much from just working alongside such creative people and my knowledge and understanding of learning, design and engagement tactics has increased dramatically. I’d say it’s the feeling of mutual benefit and trust that’s made this such an enjoyable and unique experience.”
Ollie has been integral to the success of a recent NHS project, where he created high-quality graphics to explain the inside of a human heart and tackle a complicated subject. I was immediately impressed with not only Ollie’s technical skill, but also his outstanding creativity and professionalism and how open he was to feedback. Each asset he has designed has exceeded the expectations of myself and the client; delivering high-quality graphics which perfectly illustrate the key learning aspects. What a great guy to work with – I’m sure he’ll go on to do great things.
Dominic Rogerson
Project Manager
What have you enjoyed the most about your placement?
“I’ve really enjoyed getting out and about on client films shoots, where I’ve met some cool people and explored parts of the country I’ve never been to before. I think that’s the unifying thing – the fact that everything you do actually goes out into the world. Working for big-name clients to create assets and courses within their unique brands is very creatively varied and rewarding… especially in comparison to university where you can sometimes feel like your work doesn’t go anywhere.”
What advice would you give someone who’s considering a student placement?
“Just do it! You’ll pick up a lot of industry standard skills, you’ll mature as a person and as a designer, and you’ll be confident and ready to smash your final year at university. Plus, there’s a pool table in the office, so you might just pick up a new hobby while you’re at it. There aren’t really any downsides.“
And your favourite piece of work?
“I’d have to go with the 3D asset creation work I’ve been doing across the year. I’ve made 3D models of personal AEDs, ambulance equipment and much more. It’s been really great to grow my skills in this area.”
Freya Caine
“I moved from Crewe to Leeds to study Creative Media Technology at Leeds Beckett University. My name’s Freya and I’m a Junior Creative Developer at Dynamic on my digital learning placement.
I really wanted a placement year to gain real-world experience, applying the design and development skills I’d learned as part of my studies. Dynamic looked like the perfect place to get creative and develop my understanding, all while working with real clients on live projects.“
Tell us about your time as a placement…
“My time at Dynamic has been great. I’ve been able to learn so much more about industry-standard design principles and development techniques, expanding on my skills from university to take them to the next level by working across a variety of projects and clients.
The entire team has been friendly, helpful, and welcoming. It’s a really great environment to grow from a student to a professional, experiencing what it’s like to work collaboratively, creatively and within the expectations of different stakeholders and project specific requirements.“
I’ve been consistently impressed by Freya’s work throughout the year. Most recently, she designed and developed engaging, bite-sized learning modules for London’s largest social housing charity. These modules included creative motion graphics and assets, and they were a huge hit with the client. In fact, the project’s success led to us winning even more work with them! This speaks volumes about the quality of Freya’s work. I’m thrilled that she’s continuing to collaborate with the team, both during and after her studies.
Pete Johnson
Project Manager
What have you enjoyed the most about your placement?
“I’ve definitely enjoyed the wide range of opportunities to contribute that I’ve been given throughout my placement – both internally and externally – and the number of different tools I’ve managed to experiment with to do so.
I’m on placement as a developer, but I wanted to use this opportunity to refine my design skills, and I’ve been really supported in this aim, working on a number of more design-focussed projects such as module and website designs, motion graphics and even company social media and marketing materials.“
What advice would you give someone who’s considering a student placement?
“Go for it! Doing a placement year has helped me to grow in so many ways I can hardly believe it. It’s not just my technical ability and design skills that have improved, I’ve also gained time management and organisational skills and feel a lot more motivated to apply what I’ve learned at university and over my placement year to a career in digital media and design.“
And your favourite piece of work?
“I really enjoyed working on the recruitment training modules for King, using their well-known characters and playful style to create a memorable and engaging experience for hiring managers and interviewers.”
Elias Chadwick
“Hi. My name’s Elias and I’ve lived in West Yorkshire my entire life. I’m studying Creative Media Technology at Leeds Beckett University and have been working as a junior creative developer at Dynamic for the past 12 months.
I’ve always known that I wanted to do something creative as a career, and over the course of my first two years at university I started to think about pursuing opportunities in web development or coding. I wanted to take this to the next level at Leeds, so applied for a student placement at Dynamic to experiment with different types of development and learn from industry professionals.“
Tell us about your time as a placement…
“The last year has been almost overwhelmingly beneficial for me. Having the chance to work directly with creative professionals, working collaboratively and gaining feedback on my ideas has helped me to take my skills and understanding to the next level. Not just in the way my designs look and work, but also in the impact they’ll have on their end-users. I’d not really thought about the human side of design before.
I can see a massive difference in the quality of the work I produced before versus during my time at Dynamic. I think it’s fair to say that my attention to detail and general design skills are way better than they were. I feel confident and well-prepared to smash my final year at uni.“
Elias has shown resilience, passion and skill in everything he’s done, ending the year on a real high! He’s recently completed a ground-up redevelopment on a sales training module for the UK’s largest flooring supplier, working to a tight timeline to deliver a great looking module that works well and nails the brief. I’m looking forward to seeing what he gets up to in his final year before he comes back to work at Dynamic full time.
Tom Foulkes
Learning Experience Designer
What have you enjoyed the most about your placement?
“I enjoy the overall end-to-end development and build of projects from start to finish. I find it fascinating to think about everything that goes into creating a module—from the design, interactions, animations, triggers, variables and testing—and approaching this in a logical, structured way to build good development practices.
I definitely think that one thing I’ve built is discipline in my work. I know exactly what I need to do and when I need to do it to maintain quality and functionality. And whenever I find a problem, I feel comfortable thinking outside of the box to solve it in a creative way (or know who to ask if I get stuck).”
What advice would you give someone who’s considering a student placement?
“Just go for it. It’s not just about meeting incredible people or developing skills—it’s about having a safe space to fail, experiment and learn better ways of doing things. Feedback and coaching are part of the package you get at Dynamic. Consequently, you can improve your work, increase the quality and impact of your designs and grow your confidence in a natural, supportive environment.”
And your favourite piece of work?
“That’s a tricky one… I have to say that I really enjoyed working on the umpire training course with the ECB. It was interesting to learn a bit more about the rules of cricket and working within such a well-known, recognisable brand. So yeah, that would have to be my favourite I’d say.”
Start your career at Dynamic.
At the beginning of every year, we offer exciting placement opportunities in Leeds for students to immerse themselves in the world of digital learning. It’s part of our commitment to innovation and supporting future talent. Over 30 placement students have launched their careers at Dynamic – could you be next?
Want to find out more about the placement opportunities at Dynamic? Head over to our placement page for more information.
