Rossi ice cream partner with South Essex College to provide student work experience

Students at South Essex College have been working with Rossi ice cream as part of an exciting new initiative designed to give students a taste of the working world.

Rossi ice cream engaged with 25 students selected from A-Level Photography and Business courses to provide them with the opportunity to work on an exciting new license agreement, where Rossi is making ice cream for the global phenomenon Candy Crush.

The images and posters that the students created have since been used as part of a national launch campaign, run by the renowned advertising agency M&C Saatchi, promoting the product to market through Ocado.

Arriva buses in Southend have jumped on board with the project and offered the back of a bus to promote the initiative which has been unveiled today by James Duddridge MP and will be driving around Southend throughout the Summer.

James Duddridge, the Conservative MP for the constituency of Rochford and Southend East said: “ It is great that Arriva buses are on board with this initiative from Rossi’s ice cream and South Essex College. It is clear to see from the work that has been produced that these students are incredibly talented, and we should be proud that our local businesses are taking advantage of this by sponsoring projects just like this one.”

Charlie Bird, Sales Director at Rossi, added: “When the opportunity arose to partner with students at South Essex College, I jumped at the chance. A CV that includes meaningful work experience is imperative if candidates are going to stand out and is certainly something I look for when hiring. The Candy Crush project being sold through Ocado is an exciting opportunity for us and it was wonderful to see the students really get stuck in and excited about the work they were doing.”

Anthony McGarel, Deputy Principal and Chief Executive of South Essex College, said: “I am incredibly proud of the students who took part in this fantastic project. We secure some excellent work placement opportunities for our courses, this experience with Rossi has been amazing for the students.”

Colin Wright, General Manager at Arriva said: “We're thrilled to be involved with the initiative and to work alongside Rossi and South Essex College. One of our core values at Arriva is the nurturing of local talent, and work experience initiatives such as this one are key to giving young people a taste of the working world. We hope that, by showcasing the students' work on the back of one of our buses, many people will get to see the results of their talent.”

For more information about A-Level courses at the College, visit www.southessex.ac.uk