Happy to support employment initiative

Happy Creative has joined a growing number of Blackpool businesses helping the long term unemployed back into work.

The Fylde Coast marketing and branding agency has become a Chance2Shine host pledging its support for the local community.

As a host, Happy will give jobseekers in Blackpool the opportunity to work with them building (or rebuilding) skills, experience and confidence so finding work is easier. Over the past six years, Chance2Shine, a Blackpool Council initiative, has helped 970 unemployed Fylde Coast residents become more employable. Happy is one of a growing number of local businesses from every sector of industry who want to help make a difference.

Happy welcomed its first placement, 22 year old Michael Sampey who has a degree in journalism. He has a passion for communications, marketing and PR and holds a BA (Hons) in Football Business and Media from UCFB. More recently he has achieved the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism at the City of Liverpool College.

Michael joined Happy for a four week placement to hone his writing skills in a live creative environment. He shadowed the team working on live briefs and was able to see at first-hand how an agency works, from developing the brief to writing a finished piece.

“There’s no substitute for working on live projects to help build experience and confidence,” Michael said. “I’m extremely grateful to Happy for giving me the chance to work with them - I feel I’ve learned so much about marketing, PR and creating content, and that can only help me in the future.”

“We admire what Chance2Shine does in helping local people back into work,” said Chief Happy, Karen Lambert, “and we’re pleased to share our expertise and skills and help them develop. Working with Michael has been a really rewarding experience - we’ll certainly be welcoming more work placements in 2020."