Category Archives: Access to Internships (A2I)

Employer Case Study: RJ Working

Name of Organisation: RJ Working  

Description of Organisation:  

RJ Working is a charity-sector organisation working across different sectors in Cornwall such as the education sector, public sector services, the arts sector.    Our primary purpose is to equip children and young people with the language, skills and confidence to lead Restorative Practice development in their communities. Quite simply, ‘Restorative’ means making things better.   

Name of Employer: Deborah Mitchell 

Job Title: CEO 

Internship Scheme used 

Employer Subsidies – Access to Internships | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter  

Feedback: 

Katelyn’s work has been an invaluable asset since she joined us. She has embraced all the learning opportunities on offer and has shown her capability of developing her skills set in response to a variety of challenges. We have seen her grow in confidence and initiative and take on increasing responsibilities within the team. 

Employer Case Study: Evexia Home Ltd

 Name of Organisation: Evexia Home Ltd 

Description of Organisation:  

Dr Tony Felton, Roy Margolis and Tammy Harvie are the founders and inventors of LifeAide. We have a passion to improve the quality of life of older people and those supporting them. Our backgrounds as a General Practitioner, software engineer and research expert in technology to support healthy ageing, have led us to develop this exciting new product, called LifeAide. We have incorporated a company called Evexia Home Ltd which is our start-up vehicle. 

Name of Employer: Dr Anthony Felton 

Job Title: Director 

Internship Scheme used:  

Employer Subsidies – Access to Internships | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter  

Feedback: 

“We were lucky to have a high-quality intern student who had a genuine interest in the subject and both technical and vocation expertise in the area of development that we were working in. The experience was positive for our organisation and I hope we provided Martha with some useful experience that she can use to forge her future career.” 

Employer Case Study- Mousetrap Theatre Projects

Name of Organisation: Mousetrap Theatre Projects 

Description of Organisation:  

 Mousetrap Theatre Projects is a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children and young people through theatre, especially those who are disadvantaged or have additional needs. 

Through projects designed for individuals, families, schools and youth groups, they open the doors to London’s world-class theatre and deliver transformative education projects that engage and inspire. 

Name of Employer: Elaine Grant 

Job Title: Head of Access Programmes 

Internship Scheme used:  

Employer Subsidies – Access to Internships | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter  

Feedback: 

“Jemima was invaluable to the programme and a great team member. She worked effectively in and out of the office.

Student Quote – Link to Case Study  

“My internship has been life changing. Being at Mousetrap has opened the door to working in the theatre industry and highlighted the importance of working on a large scale project which changes so many lives. My internship was multi layered and gave me a 360 experience of working on a project from beginning to end. My skills have helped me get a full time job at Mousetrap. “

Internships | Access to Internships | Student-case-study-Mousetrap-Theatre-Projects

Employer Case Study: Borneo Nature Foundation

Name of Organisation: Borneo Nature Foundation 

Description of Organisation:  The Borneo Nature Foundation is a research and conservation organisation which works to protect Borneo’s unique and diverse rainforest habitats and wildlife, notably the critically endangered orangutan. BNF achieves this through programmes of research, advocacy, restoration, education and capacity building, and empowering community-led conservation initiatives to protect habitat. 

Name of Employer: Helen Morrogh-Bernard 

Job Title: Director 

Internship Scheme used:  

Employer Subsidies – Access to Internships | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter  

Feedback: 

“I had a very positive experience having an intern. She was very willing to do what we asked, and I was very happy with what she did. The process to get the intern was straight forward and easy.” 

Employer Case Study: The Nest Southwest

Name of Organisation: The Nest Southwest CIC 

Description of Organisation:  The Nest Southwest is a not-for-profit, social enterprise, community interest company. It was set up in Devon by local women to support other women and girls through the major life transitions of menstruation, pregnancy, birth and menopause by providing social, emotional and informational support.

They hold peer support groups,  run workshops, courses  and hold training sessions. They also hire out birth equipment and books.

Their organisation is mainly volunteer led with three directors, and a team volunteers helping run support groups. Our active groups are a weekly Pregnancy & Wellbeing group and a monthly Homebirth Support group as well as hire of birth pools and equipment. Last year they launched their first menstruation course, training a cohort of volunteers to become ‘Menstruation Transitioneers’ who went into schools and youth groups to work with young people. They want to develop this project this term. They also run a Menopause support group.

Name of Employer:  Hazel Acland 

Job Title: Co-Director 

Internship Scheme used: 

Employer Subsidies – Access to Internships | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter  

Feedback: 

“It has been great having Yasmeen support our social media. Her eye for detail and research into topics to add to our social media pages has created a lot of useful resources we will continue to refer back to.  

 

Student Case Study: Frazer-Nash Consultancy

Free Photo Of Female Engineer Working On Her Workspace Stock Photo

Name of Student:  Amelia Toghill 

Degree Subject:  Physics  

Job Title: Freethinker & Problem Solver Engineer Summer Intern 

Company Name:  Frazer-Nash Consultancy 

Description of Organisation:  

Frazer-Nash is a leading systems, engineering and technology company. They help organisations deliver innovative engineering and technology solutions to make lives safe, secure, sustainable, and affordable. With over 1000 employees, they work from a network of nine UK and four Australian locations. 

Type of Internship:   

Access to Internships (A2I)   

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship? 

I worked on two projects, one was to test the code written to model patient flow for a hospital, and the other was a private venture to write a code to optimize a device for nuclear fusion. I had to work to a high standard to meet deadlines. 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

My biggest achievement was producing a piece of code that included techniques that I wasn’t familiar with and writing a report to summarise my findings. 

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?  

My biggest challenge was moving from general physics at university to engineering in industry and learning how to apply transferable skills to industry specific tasks. I overcame this by talking to other colleagues and having practice over time. 

Skills Learnt:  

  • Organisation 
  • Decision Making 
  • Communication 
  • Time and workload management 
  • Problem solving 
  • Degree Specific – report writing, copy writing 

 Attributes Developed: 

  • Logical thinking 
  • Independence 
  • Work Ethic 
  • Professionalism 
  • Confidence 
  • Perseverance 
  • Motivation 

 Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector? 

“Over the past 3 months of summer, I worked as a freethinker and problem solver summer intern at Frazer-Nash Consultancy. During my internship, I gained valuable experience of working as an engineer in industry. This taught me technical and transferable skills that I couldn’t have learnt otherwise, and I believe that this was an amazing opportunity. I really enjoyed my time there and can’t wait to return as a Graduate Engineer next year.

Employer Quote: 

“Amelia was great to work with, had a fantastic attitude towards the work she was set and asked questions where she didn’t understand. We have provided her with an offer of a full-time position once she has completed her degree. “

Employer Case Study: Reeds Solicitors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name of Organisation: Reeds Solicitors 

Description of Organisation: Reeds is a successful and progressive firm and has established itself as one of the leading criminal defence and family law practises in the South of England. They have taken time to carefully recruit a team of exceptional police station representatives, paralegals, and solicitors, based not only on their recognised legal knowledge, but also their passion and genuine commitment to achieving the best possible results for our clients. They are a fun and flexible firm with good opportunities for development and career progression. 

Job Title: Office Manager 

Internship Scheme used 

Employer Subsidies – Access to Internships | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter  

Feedback: 

“Overall, it was very easy, Isabelle though made that so. She is pleasant, confident and enthusiastic which all goes towards slotting into the workplace smoothly. Four weeks was not long enough but I hope that Isabelle found it useful and informative in regard to her future career choices and perspective of where she might end up.

Student Case Study: Oxford Heartbeat

Name of Student:  Zain Ahmad

Degree Subject:  Medicine BMBS

Job Title: PR & Comms Intern

Company Name:  Oxford Heartbeat

Type of Internship: Access to Internships (A2I) 

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

– producing written material for company website, including blogs, and articles
– interviewed staff for a “Day in the Life” series on the website
– produced long form social media posts for LinkedIn and Twitter
– conducted market research for medical devices in the US and EU

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

I produced a market research report on stenting across the UK and US markets

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?

Challenge was adapting to a non-healthcare environment and developing my commercial understanding

Skills Learnt: 

  • Teamwork and Collaboration
  • Communication
  • Focus on Goals and Outcomes

Attributes Developed:

  • Commercial Awareness
  • Confidence
  • Initiative
  • Professionalism

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

Working for Oxford Heartbeat was an amazing experience and I am grateful that I was able to work with such a great start-up team. I was impressed at how qualified the staff were, and for me this created lots of opportunities to learn. I’d be speaking to the business development manager with a Biomedical PhD background in one moment, and then talk to a developer with a PhD in Machine Learning!

I learnt a lot about commercialising Medical Device products in the NHS, and this is a perspective I would not have gained in my normal degree programme. I’d encourage anyone interested in healthcare and tech to pursue a start-up internship. My only complaint was that I could only work for one month!

 

Student Case Study: Verisk

Name of Student:  Ria Serena Luchun

Degree Subject:  Natural Sciences

Job Title: Energy Consulting Intern

Company Name:  Verisk

Type of Internship:  Access to Internships (A2I) 

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

My main role during this internship was to provide support creating deliverables for a variety of energy consulting projects, ranging from new energies and renewables all the way upstream to oil and gas. The tasks I carried out were more diverse than the energy sectors I was working in – from forecasting the demand for ammonia-based products globally to in-depth research concerning Jordan’s electricity market structure and even presenting my work to clients. All of this contributed towards creating solutions and fresh energy strategies for external clients.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

My biggest achievement over the course of the internship came right as the experience was ending. I had been working on an upstream project for just under a week and was able to successfully present the findings I had made over that short time to high-stake clients with praise for my efforts from them and the project manager. After a rocky start to the internship, this ending really boosted my confidence in myself and my skills which I am quite proud of.

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?

The biggest challenge for me was adjusting to a new workplace in a sector which was quite foreign to me. The first project I was placed on had a very demanding workload which was quite overwhelming at first, especially considering that I had very little subject-specific knowledge. Compounded with trying to acclimatise with a completely new work environment and style, the beginning of the internship was a bit tumultuous. This was overcome mainly by working closely with another intern and by seeking support from the other members of the team individually.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Organisation
  • Negotiation

Attributes Developed:

  • Logical thinking
  • Independence
  • Professionalism

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

Overall, the internship was a bit of a whirlwind and an incredible learning experience. Being able to work within so many interlinking teams gave me a taste of the advantages to working for such a large, multinational cooperation. The soft skills I’ve gained at university well supported me throughout my journey of learning at Wood Mackenzie and have propelled both my personal and professional development in this collaborative environment. Not only have I increased my skills and employability, but also my confidence in myself and my abilities.

Student Case Study: Reeds Solicitors 

Name of Student:  Isabelle Dunlop

Degree Subject:  BA Sociology

Job Title: Intern

Company Name:  Reeds Solicitors

Type of Internship: Access to Internships (A2I) 

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Case work, shadowing barristers and solicitors

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

I transcribed a one hour police interview, which was gladly appreciated by the private law department.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Communication
  • Networking

Attributes Developed:

  • Initiative
  • Motivation
  • Perseverance
  • Professionalism

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

I have really enjoyed my experience at Reeds solicitors; I was told that they would open a vacancy following my graduation. It is a great team to have been part of and a brilliant place to work. I was given lots of opportunities such as shadowing barristers and solicitors in the Magistrates and Crown Courts, I learnt a lot and met some wonderful people who I hope to meet again. I was also trusted to complete case work, such as transcribing a one hour police interview, reviewing text messages that could be used as evidence in a case and copy typing a hand-written statement. I did not want my internship to end!