Case study: From banking to football

Martin Clayton is a former business student at the university and vice president of the Students’ Union. This experience, plus undertaking a university community engagement module and placement, gave him the skills and confidence to transform from the banking career he held prior to university to working in a job he loves in the Community Voluntary and Social Enterprise Sector.

Our students in the community

Former student: Martin Clayton

"Having left a management position in the Royal Bank of Scotland, I joined the University of Brighton in 2008 at the age of 19 to study for a business management degree. I’d like to say I made this choice based on determination and ambition to succeed in the cut-and-thrust world of business, but in reality, I was just bored at the bank. I saw three years’ studying as better than sitting in front of a desk worrying about account numbers every day.

I got involved in the Students’ Union (SU) newspaper as an editor. Then I ran in the elections to become a vice president of the Students’ Union, to represent 22,000 students at the highest level within the institution as well as amongst political leaders both locally and nationally. After a fortnight of sleepless nights and constant repetition of my campaign principles, I won.

Splitting my final year into two part-time years, I took advantage of a module outside of the Business School, taking the community engagement module, run by CUPP within the School of Applied Social Sciences."

Making a difference

"Students on the module undertake practical projects with local community and voluntary organisations. It gave me an understanding of the theories and principles that, unbeknown to me, were influencing my SU work all the time. I was able to critique social and community theories and analyse organisational models. This allowed me to approach each partner organisation appropriately in order to represent students effectively. As an SU officer fighting to achieve change for students, it was vital to understand these concepts in order to achieve my goals.

In 2012 I was also involved in organising a national student-led conference in Brighton, supported by CUPP, for students interested in making a difference in their local communities.”

Taking skills into a new community

“I left the University of Brighton, graduating with a Business Management BA and leaving behind two successful years working with, in my eyes, one of the most innovative environments I have ever had the pleasure of being involved in.

I now work for Lewes Community Football Club, a cooperative football club run and entirely owned by the local community. I am responsible for ensuring the local community is at the heart of the club and the club is at the heart of the local community.

As good as it feels to be working in an organisation that works specifically for the local community, it is essential that we are financially able to survive and grow, so the business degree is certainly coming in handy.

I work in an industry that I am incredibly passionate about, doing things that I didn’t know even existed until I got involved in CUPP and the community engagement module."