Supreetha Shankar, an MBA student at the University of Central Lancashire, will be working with the Council’s place development team on a number of projects including tourism, town centre management and place marketing. 

To help Supreetha get around as part of her placement and studies, Stagecoach has issued her with a free West Cumbria-wide bus pass for the six months she will be working in the area. She will be mainly located at the Council’s main office in Workington, as well as spending some time working from the UCLan building at Westlakes Science and Technology Park, as well as visiting different organisation across Allerdale. 

Originally from India, Supreetha made the decision to study a Master’s in Business Administration in the UK and is looking forward to gaining some experience working at the Council. She said: “I am highly interested in marketing, so it was an excellent opportunity for me to get an internship in tourism marketing. I am very excited to explore more as an intern and work with the Council. Also, the Stagecoach bus pass will be a great help for me. Since the internship deals with destination management it would require me to travel around and understand the places in a better way, and a sponsored bus pass is a much appreciated support during the whole process.”

Councillor Joan Ellis, Executive Member with responsibility for people resources, comments: “I’m delighted that Supreetha will be joining the team and I have no doubt she will be a great addition. There is plenty going on in our place development department, so there will be a lot to get to grips with which will provide some great experiences. The Council always seeks opportunities to support professional development and improve skills and education, and with the generous offer of a bus pass from Stagecoach this has been made possible.”

Councillor Bill Jefferson, Executive Member with responsibility for tourism and culture, added: “The Council has been working very hard to implement its tourism and culture strategy, with the addition of the new branding and website, and I am pleased that we have Supreetha on board to help support with some exciting projects. This is a fantastic opportunity for both the Council and Supreetha, and I am looking forward to seeing the outcome.”

Mark Whitelocks, Managing Director for Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire, commented: “This is an excellent opportunity and I am delighted that we are able to help Supreetha and Allerdale Borough Council get as much from this as possible.  Tourism is a key part of our economy and collectively it is important that we continue to work on improving our marketing of the area and offers we can give to help attract more visitors to the area.”