All posts by a2iadmin

Equality and Diversity Project Officer for Athena SWAN – CEMPS and CLES, University of Exeter

Biosciences, Human Resources, Recruitment and Training,

ATHENA Swan, UoE Internships, University of Exeter Internships, SCP, SBP, GBP, A2I

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

During my internship I supported the Human Resources departments of the College of Life and Environmental Sciences and the College of Engineering, Maths and Physical Sciences in their work towards Athena SWAN Awards. Athena SWAN is a charter aiming to improve the recruitment, retention and promotion of women in science. I worked closely with the nine disciplines working towards Silver Athena SWAN Awards. The role included running focus groups, supporting and contributing to 12 working groups at discipline, college and university levels and supporting the improvement of policies and practices within the Colleges.

I really enjoyed my time at Exeter and gained valuable experience. My line manager was extremely supportive and was always finding opportunities for me to develop my skills and to take part in networking and training events. I enjoyed the different aspects of my role; including working at University level in HR and supporting the University Working group, but also working with staff in CEMPS and CLES and seeing the way policies and practices are implemented and experienced and the impact of Athena SWAN at a cultural level.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

My role enabled me to develop my knowledge and work experience in Equality and Diversity and go on to my new role working on Athena SWAN at UCL.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

Gaining Athena SWAN Awards is one of the key University objectives so my work was highly valued and appreciated.

harrietjones2

Organisation Development Consultant – South West Water

Employer Feedback, Management and Consultancy, Politics and International Relations,

South West Water Internship, UoE Internship, University of exeter Internship, SCP, SBP, GBP, A2I

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

Working within the Organisation Development team at South West Water, I was responsible for assisting in the delivery of business change projects across the company. This involved the development and implementation of new business processes, IT systems, organisation structures and performance management techniques.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

This internship has been an invaluable experience, significantly boosting my employability, and has been vital in focusing my career aspirations. I have gained experience working on a number of different business change projects, learning key project management skills and building my confidence in the workplace.

Did you encounter any problems during the course of your internship and if so, how did you overcome them?

Working for South West Water presented me with a steep learning curve, the role has been extremely challenging but equally rewarding, and I have received an excellent level of support from my colleagues every step of the way.  I was encouraged to use my own initiative and creativity, and have been given more responsibility as recognition for my hard work. No two days have been the same as I have gained experience working with a number of different departments across the business, supporting them as they undergo large scale changes. I have gained significant knowledge and experience of project and programme management, and recently obtained a PRINCE 2 qualification, something which is widely recognised in the UK and internationally.

“Rebecca has grasped every opportunity, often going above and beyond what’s expected of her and always produces excellent results – regularly exceeding expectations.  The professional, well thought out options and proposals that Rebecca has developed in response to both Business and Project challenges have her creative stamp on them and have been well received and utilised across a number of departments. At the start of the internship, Rebecca was given a number of minor projects to work on but soon demonstrated her ability to add real value to major, high profile projects, allowing her to gaining invaluable and transferable experience whilst developing her excellent reputation within the Business.  I have no doubt that Rebecca will be an asset to any team” – Line Manager

rebeccakelly

Quality Assurance Officer – Business School, University of Exeter

Education, Teaching and Research, Employer Feedback, Psychology,

University of Exeter Business School, UoE Internships, Exeter Business School, SCP, SBP, GBP, A2I

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

During the internship my role was to lead a project to audit the Business School’s undergraduate and postgraduate modules to draw out and capture the extent to which these support the School’s internationalisation, employability, external engagement and environmental sustainability agendas for EQUIS accreditation. I also conducted interviews, both face to face and by email, with academic module leaders in the Business School, in order to draw out and capture information to record. Finally, I worked on the Key Information Sets (KIS) project which involved large volumes of data transfer and analysis.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

The GBP scheme was one of the major factors that enabled me to secure a full time job as Admissions Administrator for the University of Exeter Medical School. I developed a range of skills, such as the ability to communicate and work with individuals from different backgrounds, ability to deliver high quality work to deadlines, excellent written communication skills (transcribing the interviews) and it also helped me to become an experienced interviewer. My confidence levels have gone up remarkably.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

The work I did went a long way to assisting the Business School in its EQUIC accreditation by providing essential qualitative and quantitative information to senior managers. If the business school is successful in its accreditation, I will have been directly involved with getting the Business School recognised as one of the leading Business Schools in the UK.

“Naomi was a highly efficient and productive member of the team” – Line Manager

nidhiboda

Project Assistant – Jo Bird and Co

Advertising, Marketing and PR, History,

Jo Bird and Co Internship, University of Exeter Internship, UoE Internship, SCP, SBP, GBP, A2I

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

During my internship I was responsible for investigating potential new markets, auditing the company’s existing database, updating the website and creating sales leads.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

During the internship I was relied upon to come up with a marketing strategy for a new product as well as seeking out new clients for the business and even spending a day helping with the manufacture of the product. My internship led to a permanent job offer from Jo Bird and Co – which I accepted!

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

The work I did during my internship would not have been carried out without my presence. The company did not have the time or resources to undertake it so were very grateful I was there.

tomengland_160

Employment Services and Vacancy Support Assistant – University of Exeter

Employer Feedback, Human Resources, Recruitment and Training, Psychology,

Career Zone Internship, University of Exeter Internship, UoE Internship, SCP, SBP, GBP, A2I

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

My role was to assist the Employment Services Team by ensuring the smooth running of GBP, SBP and SCP placements, sending out bulletins and assisting with the running of training courses. I also assisted with the inputting and vetting of vacancies onto the Career Zone website.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

I had the chance to get involved with the organisation of training events which developed my organisational skills. I also improved my communication skills through regularly dealing with both employers and students. The experience of working in an officer has also taught me to use my initiative and the importance of learning to prioritise tasks and activities.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I was very flexible to cope with the differing demands on me from the different areas of work I was asked to carry out.

“Cathy was quick to learn and calm” – Employment Services Manager

cathythompson_160

Athletic Union Assistant Development Officer – University of Exeter

Employer Feedback, English, Leisure, Sport and Tourism,

University of Exeter Athletic Union, UoE Athletic Union, AU, UoE Internship, SCP, SBP, GBP, A2I

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

During this internship I had three main responsibilities. The first was the development and administration of the intramural programme for students, linking it with other sporting activity within AU clubs. This included weekly events and one-off events throughout the year.  My second responsibility was to manage the sports volunteering scheme, maximising the benefits to the future employment status of Exeter students. This involved overseeing current sponsorships as well as generating new relationships with the SVS sponsors and partners, to ensure the smooth running of the programme. Finally, I facilitated the delivery of junior athletic education days. These were aimed to educated and inspire children who have the potential to success within a sporting field. The framework provided school aged talented athletes with support above and beyond what they currently receive from their school.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

I learnt many new skills as well as having the chance to attend various training courses to help further my career. I particularly enjoyed developing new initiatives such as International Sports Month and Junior Athlete Education Days. I was given the opportunity to run with the projects and learnt which areas I needed to improve on to build the projects even more.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I came up with many new and well received ideas and initiatives.

“Megan has been a real asset to the AU. She has taken on every task and carried them out to the highest possible standard” – Line Manager

russell

Student Engagement Officer – University of Exeter

Classics and Ancient History, Education, Teaching and Research, Employer Feedback,

University of Exeter Internships, UoE Internships, SCP, SBP, GBP, A2I

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

I was responsible for overseeing and supporting a wide portfolio of projects to improve the student experience. I was a ‘Change Agents’ co-ordinator, which meant that I supported and networked groups of students to lead change and improvement within their disciplines. A project area that I was keenly involved with was the co-ordination and expansion of the level of support that we offer to students who study abroad. This particular role included: updating and creating websites; writing reports; processing paperwork; and liaising with third parties, such as partner universities around the world and departments external to my college.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

I was awarded the runner up for one of the Guild Teaching Awards for my work as a change agent. Additionally, the student engagement model I help to develop was recommended for use in other colleges.

The internship provided me the opportunity to liaise and work alongside a rich variety of colleagues, both within and outside the College. I was able to interact with departments that represented different sectors and areas of business in general. It was a great insight into the possibilities and opportunities that I could pursue after my GBP.

“Alex’s period of employment has been hugely successful” – Line Manager

ratcliffe

HE STEM Project Coordinator – CEMPS, University of Exeter

Education, Teaching and Research, Employer Feedback, Physics and Astronomy,

STEM Internship, University of Exeter Internship, UoE Internships, SCP, GBP, SBP, A2I

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

My role was to coordinate two of the department’s five National Higher Education STEM Programme projects in collaboration with partners at other South West universities. The projects focuses on employer engagement, particularly within the mathematics and engineering curricula. I organised focus groups and interviews with academics, students and local employers and drew up a series  of case studies of good practice for employer engagement. I also formulated a series of recommendations to improve employer engagement within CEMPS and contributed to an online toolkit of advice for Higher Education Institutions nationally.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

The internship was particularly useful to me in learning how to network within a large organisation and how to get the most from meetings and interviews with other staff members. My communication skills have definitely developed as a result of working on these projects and my confidence in presenting my work to others has been boosted!

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

The projects I conducted would not have been possible without my input and coordination.

Did you encounter any problems during the course of your internship and if so, how did you overcome them?

At times, the work was very challenging and getting cooperation from some individuals was tricky on occasion, but that made the successes of the projects feel like real achievements.

“Dawn has worked to a consistently high standard and excelled in balancing demands across multiple projects” – Line Manager

Dawn

Environmental Monitoring Technician – Air Quality Monitors

Administration, Employer Feedback, Geography, Manufacturing, Engineering and Processing,

University of Exeter Internships, UoE Internships, A2I, SCP, SBP, GBP

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

During my internship my role included ‘on-site’ visits where I calibrated equipment and becoming part of the sales team where I worked within the officer and dealt with clients. I also did general office work as well as analysing results for the monitors and helping to solve any potential issues that may have occurred.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

The internship helped me gain an understanding of what working life is like. I also gained skills in managing the public and with communicating with clients. Additionally, I improved on some of my university skills, including the use of GIS and report writing.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I was very efficient in carrying out all tasks given to me and produced operating manuals that will continue to be helpful to the company.

“Sarah is keen, hardworking and very enthusiastic. She carried out all tasks quickly and efficiently and was happy to do anything to help” – Line Manager

Online Marketing Executive – Sanaa House

Advertising, Marketing and PR, Employer Feedback, Psychology,

Marketing Internship, University of Exeter Internship, UoE Internship, A2I, SCP, SBP, GBP

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

Sanaa House is a small local company selling African Artisan Products and was looking to transition from the retail to wholesale market. As Online Marketing Executive I had to promote the company through social media by setting up accounts and managing profiles with Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. I also created marketing campaigns and designed the web page to create the right company image and design the new catalogue.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

The internship was a very hands on experience where I learnt a lot on the job. It gave me a good experience of working in a business in the real world. In particular I learnt about consulting with colleagues and how to deal with clients from external companies.

Due to the high level of responsibility I was given I have been able to create an impressive portfolio for my future career. The position helped me to develop good negotiation and team working skills.

“Employing Luke over the summer made a real difference to my company’s marketing plan. Luke is the best combination of an easy going team member and a motivated young professional” – Owner, Sanaa House

lukebristow