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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

Student Case Study: That’s Show Business

Name of Student:  Vidip Khttar 

Degree Subject: BSc Computer Science 

Job Title: AI Prototype Web Developer Intern for Tech Startup 

Company Name: That’s Show Business

Description of Organisation:  

The ineffective current forms of copyright protection to protect media content in online platforms are of major concern to the creative industry. That’s Show Business’s goal is to support and safeguard Creatives with their promotion, copyright, collaboration, and recognition by raising their creative profile to find the aspiring stars of the future, break down the barriers to entry to the underrepresented Creative by providing the power of online communities. 

Type of Internship:   

 Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)   

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship? 

To develop Machine learning algorithms to analyse user interactions as well as develop a testing database to hold all of this data. Generated a report on my work. 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

Learning and using a difficult software that I had previously never used before to generate fake user training data. It required process that I didn’t understand at all at first but quickly was able to learn and effectively use it. 

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure 
  • Organisation 
  • Strategic Planning 
  • Decision Making  
  • Communication 
  • Teamwork and Collaboration 
  • Focus on Goals and Outcomes 
  • Researching 

Attributes Developed: 

  • Confidence 
  • Initiative 
  • Motivation 
  • Independence 
  • Work Ethic 
  • Professionalism 

 

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

“This internship gave me great insight into working in a start-up organisation instead of a large corporation. I met and learned from everyone in the company which taught me many skills. Working in the start-up also gave me a sense of responsibility since my work was essential to the software the company was developing. It was an enriching experience and will allow me to work better with a team moving forward.

 

Student Case Study: Saudi British Joint Business Council (SBJBC)

Name of Student:  Elizabeth Trunceite 

Degree Subject: LLB Law with European Study 

Job Title: Membership and Marketing Manager 

Company Name:  Saudi British Joint Business Council (SBJBC) 

Description of Organization:  

SBJBC UK is a not-for-profit membership association which works closely with the Department for International Trade and British and Saudi Chambers of Commerce to strengthen business relations between the UK and Saudi Arabia, introduce new companies to the market and support those already on the ground. 

 Type of Internship:   

 Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)   

 What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship? 

Mostly my key duties were events management, marketing initiatives, receptionist duties as well as interacting with clients in promoting the company and gathering new members. I was also involved in securing sponsorships, as well as organizing logistics for sector focused events. 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

The biggest personal achievement for me was building a professional rapport and greater confidence in my own abilities. Also, the many projects and opportunities which I was able to get involved in that provided for a variable experience! 

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?  

Working to close deadlines was a challenge which I faced but this was overcome with good teamwork. 

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure 
  • Organization 
  • Communication 
  • Teamwork and collaboration 
  • Customer service 

 Attributes Developed: 

  • Logical thinking 
  • Creative thinking 
  • Independence 
  • Work Ethic 
  • Professionalism 

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

“It was a lovely experience with a great team and an inclusive working environment. I worked there for nearly 5 months, and it was a great hands-on internship that taught me so much.” 

Employer Case Study:  White Willow Partners Limited

Name of Organisation: White Willow Partners Limited

Description of Organisation: A bespoke HR consultancy focusing on the individual needs of every customer. White Willow provide a service which is designed around you and your business requirements. There is no “one fit” when it comes to HR so our services are tailored exclusively to you. They help recruit, develop and retain the right people for business’

Name of Employer: Carrie White

Job Title: Company Director

Internship Scheme used: Student Business Partnerships (SBPs) | Career Zone | University of Exeter

Feedback:

“We’re operating in a hybrid world where we don’t always need to go into the office, our intern worked well in that he was completely remote, we connected through technology, and he was able to get up to speed quickly with the work we set him. We were keen for him to support us on a new product we had recently launched, creating the infrastructure sitting behind the Leadership Development Programme to enable us to deliver a fully accredited programme which leads to a professional qualification. He developed new processes which support our route to accreditation, and which will now be used to support our quality assurance reviews annually.

We also asked our intern to support us with development of new training materials that would be used to develop summer interns for one of our clients. He successfully designed/delivered three modules complete with facilitation materials and resources for us to share with our client’s interns. We also got him involved in developing our organisational presence in the Southwest working with our marketing manager, he was able to identify new contacts and supported on business development through the creation of new marketing materials which will be used in new business pitches.

I would recommend this scheme and have already signed up to use it again.”

Student Case Study: Solidum Solicitors

 

Name of Student:  Fedaa Al Jundi

Degree Subject:  LLB Law

Job Title: Legal Assistant

Company Name:  Solidum Solicitors

Type of Internship: Access to Internships (A2I)

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Ability to prioritise work.
Analytical skills.
Organisational skills.
Ability to strictly adhere to guidelines and procedures.
Communication and time management skills.
Problem solving.
General administrative work of a law firm.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

I have developed new skills during my internship that I would not have developed during my studies which will set me up for the real workplace upon graduation. An example is how to deal with clients effectively or if they were vulnerable, for e.g. they have lost a loved one and were applying for probate.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Customer Service
  • Organisation

Attributes Developed:

  • Logical thinking
  • Cultural Awareness
  • Independence

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

I was involved in litigation cases where I was putting together trial paperwork and bundles. I did work in different areas of law, which narrowed my choices when thinking about specialising in one or two areas after graduation. I did legal research in different ways for different areas of law. I drafted letters and documents for court cases, which improved my legal drafting skills. I am very grateful for this opportunity.

This experience was overall amazing. It has boosted my confidence and provided me with new contacts. I would urge anyone to apply for internships even if they are not paid, because it will open many doors and provide many future opportunities. This was reflected during my internship, as I secured a paralegal role a day after my internship ended.

Alumni Profile: John Rhodes (LLB Law Degree)

Name: John Rhodes

Nationality: British and German

What did you study at the University of Exeter? LLB Law

What year did you graduate? 1973

What country are you currently working in? Switzerland

Tell us a a bit about your time at Exeter, why did you choose to study here?

I chose Exeter for several reasons: mainly because the course involved foreign and European laws. Exeter was at the forefront of teaching European law and at that time also taught French law. Very few Universities were as forward thinking. I knew I would be using my languages in my career. Secondly, Exeter’s surrounding area is one of the most beautiful in the country and I did not fancy being in an urban sprawl, having been brought up in London. Thirdly, it’s a long way from anywhere!

What did you enjoy most about studying here?

The friendliness of the teaching staff (although Professor Parker was a bit scary) and the size of the University, in those days only 4.000 students!

Did you use the Careers Service while you were at Exeter? If so, how did they help you?

No, I didn’t need to, I made my own enquiries.

Your career,  what have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?

I became a Solicitor and found a firm in London which needed German speakers. (That was not so easy as most just wanted French speakers for their Paris and/or Brussels offices). The two firms I found both made me offers of articles and I accepted one. I became a Partner in that firm, and eventually Head of the German Department (we had offices in Hamburg and Frankfurt). I ran the Frankfurt Office for a while. I was with that firm for 32 years and then, when the firm’s fortunes waned, decided to look outside the box and joined a commercial and international firm in Zurich. Now I know why I studied trusts at Exeter!

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I advise on English law in a Swiss law firm. The Swiss lawyers come to for advice on their English law/English language cases, litigation, arbitration, contracts and I advise clients who may have business or assets in Switzerland who require assistance -company/commercial or tax/trusts.

How have your University of Exeter studies helped in your career?

Everything one learns at University has some relevance at some point. I never thought trusts law would come to so important for me. Of course company law and commercial law were the backbone of my career. Criminal law was fascinating in the first year but of little practical use as it turned out.

Do you have any advice for current students wishing to pursue your career?

If you are a German speaker, do get in touch with the British-German Jurists Association who will guide you towards those firms, all round the country, and abroad, who will be most interested in giving you articles, or a summer placement.

What are your plans for the future?

I am nearing retirement age. Luckily, or unluckily, I can work as long as I wish…..

Do you have any tips or advice on being employable?

I used to interview prospective trainees. Ensure your CV has no spelling errors and that your referees know they are your referees (I once received a very poor reference from an academic – he said he neither liked nor trusted the applicant!). Make sure the CV includes all hobbies and extracurricular interests. If you speak a language, say so and mention how fluent you are. Particularly if your grades are mediocre, you have to sell yourself in some other way.

Student Case Study: Saudi British Joint Business Council

Name of Student:  Sophie Wormley

Degree Subject:  BSc Politics and International Relations

Job Title: Membership and Marketing Assistant

Company Name:  Saudi British Joint Business Council

Description of Company: We are an independent and private sector-led body, which aims to develop and enhance business relations between Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. Through both its British and Saudi members and its Secretariat in London and Riyadh, the council offers a range of services and provides access to high-level governmental and private sector networks in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.

Type of Internship:  Student Business Partnerships (SBPs) 

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Throughout this internship I have had many responsibilities including marketing events, recruiting new members, drafting the monthly newsletter and helped organise our big event.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

One output I produced was the monthly newsletter which I drafted each month, this would inform the members of any updates to our organisation as well as some news updates in Saudi Arabia. We would encourage members to take part in our upcoming events and it certainly increased the engagement. Another output I produced was marketing our organisation’s events on LinkedIn to increase awareness of not only our events but also our organisation to encourage new members to join. Through several posts, the organisation’s LinkedIn gained many followers.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

My biggest achievement was my input in ensuring the smoothness of the big event we ran. SBJBC hosted the ‘UK/Saudi Sustainable Investment Forum’ in mid July and it required a lot of effort in all areas. My role was to market the event as well as complete a lot of admin tasks including creating spreadsheets of the attendees and ensuring they had the relevant documents (ie. approval and Covid restrictions). As a result of my work, the event ran very smoothly and was well organised across all areas.

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

I certainly felt shy at some points in the internship and lacked the confidence to talk on group calls. However, throughout the course of my internship I have made a considerable effort to improve on this. Through researching the events and asking questions, I now feel a lot more confident speaking on calls.

Skills Learnt:  

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Organisation
  • Leadership
  • Strategic Planning
  • Decision Making

Attributes Developed:

  • Logical thinking
  • Creative thinking
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic
  • Professionalism

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

“I have loved completing my internship this summer. Not only has it massively improved my confidence, it has given me many employability skills which will certainly help in the future. I have learned the importance of team work, especially working within such a small team as I have had constant communication with my colleagues. Although I may have felt shy at some points, I overcame this by asking questions and carrying out lots of research to ensure I felt confident speaking on calls.”

Student Case Study : Caxton FX

Name of Student:  Olive Stansfield

Degree Subject: BSc Economics

Job Title: Corporate Intern

Company Name:  Caxton FX

Description of Company: Caxton FX is a UK-based foreign exchange, international payments and prepaid card provider based at Portland House in Westminster, London, England. It is a registered money service business with HM Revenue and Customs and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Type of Internship:   Access to Internships (A2I)

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Competitor analysis, analysis of low-profit customers and administrative tasks.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

Outputs: two competitor research reports for the two main products offered by my employer. Outcomes: a resource for all staff members to use e.g. when on sales calls to assist in promoting Caxton above its competitors. My research were also used by marketing to assist in development of new social media campaign.


What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

I struggled with ensuring I was still included in team meetings as this internship was remote. I feel that if this internship was not remote I would have gained more experience and been involved in more tasks.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Teamwork and Collaboration
  • Customer Service
  • Researching
  • Organisation

Attributes Developed:

  • Commercial Awareness
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic
  • Professionalism

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

“I really enjoyed this opportunity and I am very grateful to the University for enabling the internship. I’ve gained some very important employability skills and am now interviewing for a full-time role within the company!”

Student Case Study: SwapNation

Name of Student:  Mel Watt

Degree Subject: BA History with Study Abroad

Job Title: Sustainability Manager

Company Name:  SwapNation (formerly known as The Dress Change)

Description of Company: We are the UK’s first Peer to Peer Exchange Platform! We make sustainable fashion affordable for women in the UK, by creating an online space to exchange clothing, shoes and accessories with each other. We provide rewards for our members in the form of events, discounts and goodies from local small sustainable companies. Exchanging fashion means we are both saving money and helping the environment, by reducing the amount that ends up in landfill.

Type of Internship:   Access to Internships (A2I) 

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

My overall role was to enhance SwapNation’s sustainability policies and messaging by: 1) Producing creative outputs including website copy, blog posts, Instagram posts, TikTok videos, and co-ordinating social media campaigns 2) Reviewing SwapNation’s sustainability policies and making recommendations for improvement 3) Sending out a press release and securing press coverage 4) Helping co-organise and host the SwapNation studio – the UK’s first permanent swap shop – and launch event with influencers and journalists 5) Conducting research on the circular fashion industry and our main competitors

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

I delivered many outputs including:

1) Writing a website page on sustainability so SwapNation can enhance its USP

2) Creating multiple blog posts and social media content to enhance awareness and click-throughs to our service

3) Planning #Swaptober, a social media campaign and pledge that will heighten public awareness and willingness to swap

4) Successfully distributing a press release which has garnered press interest and secured coverage in an online newsletter and publication

5) Networking with influencers, journalists and businesses to secure future collaboration and coverage

6) Creating an industry research report to help us better understand how to target our chosen demographic

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

I was tasked with boosting the visibility of SwapNation which I achieved through a range of social media outputs, press coverage and our launch event. I curated the guest list for our opening event which included high-profile fashion and sustainability influencers and journalists. The event was a huge success, generating both press and influencer coverage and greatly bolstering our traffic. It was a worthwhile networking event and one that has seen a rise of visitors to our studio.

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

Myself and the SwapNation team were interviewed for a BBC News segment which showcased the opening of the UK’s first swap studio. However, I was really unhappy with the way it was edited because it made me appear somewhat inarticulate and unable to calculate numbers in my head. I felt embarrassed that I had been misrepresented on national television, but showed resilience in making light of the situation and appreciating that the feature had greatly boosted SwapNation’s traffic regardless.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Organisation
  • Customer Service
  • Teamwork and Collaboration
  • Leadership
  • Strategic Planning

Attributes Developed:

  • Logical thinking
  • Initiative
  • Commercial Awareness
  • Creative thinking
  • Work Ethic

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

“As Sustainability Manager at SwapNation – the UK’s first peer-to-peer exchange platform and swap studio – I enhanced the company’s sustainability policies and messaging. I achieved this by researching and creating a variety of outputs including social media content, website copy and blog posts, as well as co-organising an influencer event and securing press coverage. Combined, my work demonstrated the sustainable benefits of clothes swapping, enhanced consumer awareness around swapping and platformed swapping as your guilt-free alternative to shopping, in store and online.”

 

Employer Case Study: Procura Consulting 

Name of Organisation: Procura Consulting

Description of Organisation: Procura Consulting is a boutique management consultancy firm specialising in procurement and supply chain optimisation. Our consultants work closely with all kinds of organisations to improve their profitability by identifying, delivering and maintaining savings in procurement expenditure.

Founded in 2016 we have grown rapidly fuelled by a compelling service offer to clients and a commitment to the highest standards of professionalism and operational excellence. Our success has been recognised with recent nominations for the Management Consultancy Association’s “Best New Consultancy” and “Commercial Excellence” awards.

Name of Employer:  Luke Abbott

Job Title: Manager

Internship Scheme usedGreen Consultants 

Feedback:

“We recruited an intern from the Green Consultant scheme to help develop our Sustainable Procurement service. We are developing a new service that focuses on helping organisations become more sustainable by utilising their procurement function and supply chain.

Our intern researched sustainable solutions and suppliers in different areas of spend, for example, IT and completed completed a number of internal projects focusing on the sustainability of Procura as a business and formulated some great ideas for our sustainable procurement service.

She was a fantastic intern who really took initiative in tasks. Her passion for sustainability is clear. We asked the student to come back and work for us, we offered her a one-month internship in October this year to continue her great work which she accepted. I expect we will offer her another internship or possibly a graduate role once our Sustainable Procurement service is up and running.”