3EN Marketing Intern Matthew hopes to inspire other to fly high

The impact of Covid-19 has been felt by everyone in Northern Ireland, but one of the groups that have been particularly disadvantaged by the pandemic are the students who were destined to be tomorrow’s business leaders.
Belfast-based Matthew Thomson shares his career journey with the News LetterBelfast-based Matthew Thomson shares his career journey with the News Letter
Belfast-based Matthew Thomson shares his career journey with the News Letter

The impact of Covid-19 has been felt by everyone in Northern Ireland, but one of the groups that have been particularly disadvantaged by the pandemic are the students who were destined to be tomorrow’s business leaders.

Withdrawn job offers, cancelled graduate programmes and a sharp decline in employment opportunities have hit the younger population hard, but one County Down-based tech company is determined to help turn the tide by increasing the number of opportunities available to students.

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Belfast-based Matthew Thomson (22), a product of Grosvenor Grammar School, has just started his placement year, working remotely with ENCO Deutschland GmbH, the German branch of the 3EN Group.

Matthew shares his career journey with the News Letter, hoping to inspire other students to pursue their dream jobs and fly high despite the pandemic.

Marketing Intern Matthew studies Modern Languages and Business Studies at Newcastle University. His degree required him to secure a placement year, so, knowing that 3EN has a German office in Bonn that would allow him to use his language skills, Matthew got in touch with the team at the 3EN Group to secure some on-the-job experience.

He explained: “As part of my Business Studies degree, I have had the chance to study both marketing and management and found that marketing appealed to me more. I enjoy being creative and coming up with new solutions so I felt like marketing was a good choice for me as it combines both elements.”

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3EN, one of the world’s leading Oracle NetSuite Enterprise Resource Management Solutions Partners, helps businesses to drive growth through improving efficiency with seamless integration between Oracle NetSuite and other software platforms.

Over the last few years, the company has offered many opportunities to students and graduates from Ulster University, Queen’s University and beyond, including work placements, sponsorships and jobs. The students and graduates take on a wide range of tasks at 3EN, but one thing that unites them is the importance placed on the work they do for the company at C-Suite level. Matthew’s daily routine revolves around marketing activities like managing social media accounts, web design and promoting clients which include FitBit, Fair Trade and Mile High Labs.

Matthew cites the enthusiastic and supportive culture as the thing he loves about working at the company: “The togetherness of the 3EN team and the support you receive as a team member is second to none. It doesn’t feel like there’s a ‘big boss’ of the company, and we are encouraged to ask for help if we ever have a problem. The leadership team at 3EN will always make time for you, no matter what level you are within the company.”

CEO Dale Cree added: “We are passionate about helping to engage and inspire the next generation of STEM business leaders and Northern Ireland is home to some of the brightest young stars in our field. 3EN’s growth over the last few years has been phenomenal, and a big part of that success is due to the hard work, dedication and creativity of our young team. Matthew is brilliant at what he does, and we empower him to deliver for our team and our clients, even at this early stage in his career. We’re all really proud of Matthew and I’d encourage businesses of all shapes and sizes to consider creating graduate training and placement programmes to help unearth the next generation of business leaders, in whatever field you operate in.”

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For other young people in Belfast looking to boost their own career progression, Matthew offers some words of advice: “Study hard and keep your options open. Life changes constantly (just look at the past 10 months!) so be open to options that aren’t in your plan. Most importantly, however, enjoy what you do!”

Matthew hopes to finish his year-long internship with ENCO Deutschland GmbH and graduate from university. He is excited to work hard to achieve his dreams and hopes to fly high as he figures out the rest of his career plans.

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