Wintec graduate "TikToks" all the right boxes

Thursday, 23 March 2023

Jamie Batters seated in the middle with her colleagues, Senior Account Manager Nicola Lee (left) and Senior Account Manager Kate Webber (right), at HMC Communications HQ, based in Panama Square in central Kirikiriroa Hamilton.

Wintec | Te Pūkenga Bachelor of Communication graduate Jamie Batters is bringing social media knowledge and next generation insight into the workplace.

The Hamilton local, who finished her degree in 2022, scored her first job straight out of Wintec at HMC Communications based in Panama Square. Her official title is Digital PR Content Creator, a new job created for the changing media landscape.

Wintec Communication tutor Abby Dalgety said the industry was looking for graduates with diverse abilities in not only storytelling, but digital marketing, video production skills and purpose-driven copywriting as well.

“The industry is knocking at our door for more Bachelor of Communication graduates,” Dalgety said.

Batters said her workday consisted of developing social media content, media releases, e-newsletters, video, which all up can be described as “essentially multi-media storytelling”.

Her position is “creative, but driven by strategy,” with a strong focus on relationships with clients and colleagues.

That is just one of the reasons why new communication graduates are so sought after.

“We have an authentic connection with new generations,” Batters said. “And you need to go where the viewers are.”

Batters said she's fitting in really well at her new job and that the communication pathway was the right fit. Looking back, when she was at secondary school, she never had a class that made her really tick. That was until she began her first Media Studies class in Year 12.

“After my first week [I decided], yep, that’s what I want to do,” she said.

Batters left school after Year 12 to pursue a Bachelor of Communication and after looking at the degree at Wintec, she saw that it matched her interests and would help her reach her goals.

She said that her study at Wintec set her up in a way that was hands-on, with the learning always embedded in real life applications. In projects, students have to make calls, and emails, to collaborate through group work and work on building positive client relationships.

“To start with it was hard to talk to clients, but it’s all practice.”

This approach has allowed Batters to grow, to connect with people, and to put herself out there.

For Batters the world of communication is all about how you interpret a story and how you mould that story for each channel for maximum connection, but she notes it’s also about growing and developing as a person along the way.

She’s grateful to the PR company she works for, for their holistic approach and for their values around upskilling.

“Because Heather [founder of HMC Communications] is the chair of PRINZ [Public Relations Institute of New Zealand], there are a lot of opportunities for development.”

Batters has taken her knowledge of TikTok to deliver a workshop to her colleagues. The comprehensive, digital session shared the ins and outs of the platform and how to optimise these for clients. She said that she underestimated the value of skills she brings as a new graduate.

“You can bring these new ideas into your workplaces and it can really help.”

It’s giving people the tools to implement change in the everyday that Batters really enjoys.

“Helping clients and colleagues feel empowered to use new tools is really rewarding.”

She also gets a thrill from breaking down information so it’s digestible and engaging and making information accessible to a wide range of people, whether it’s TikTok, Instagram or E newsletters.

“I love seeing how the combination of words and visuals can make an impact.”

Find out more about studying communication at the School of Media Arts at Wintec Te Pūkenga.