Category Archives: History

Employment Services Support Assistant – Employability Services, University of Exeter

Administration, Advertising, Marketing and PR, Employer Feedback, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), History, Human Resources, Recruitment and Training,

office

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

The main purpose of my role was to ensure the delivery of professional and helpful administrative support within the Employment Services Team, in particular for the Graduate Recruitment Team. I played a key role in supporting the arrangements for the careers fairs and a wide range of employer events, in particular showcase/drop-in events, recruiter in residence and mock interviews. I assisted the team in developing relationships with local, regional and national employers, institutions, Alumni, internal Colleges and Services for the benefit of the University and its students and graduates.

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

Throughout the course of my internship, the team was faced with a number of issues and obstacles out of our control that potentially threatened the organisation of successful events, such as double-bookings and extreme weather conditions. One of my biggest achievements was dealing with unexpected problems calmly and smoothly, always making the employer a priority and quickly creating contingency plans. My confidence has significantly increased as a result of this and I now feel more equipped and capable of dealing with the unexpected.  My internship offered a fantastic opportunity to put my skills into practice and gain invaluable office experience.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I played a key role in the organisation and delivery of four major careers fairs and a large number of smaller employer events, such as presentations and showcases. I coordinated the arrangements of several events from start to finish, taking the original booking, making the necessary arrangements and hosting the event on the day. I feel that my work helped to ease the workload of my colleagues in what was an extremely busy autumn term and was crucial to the smooth running of employer events.

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

The main problems that I encountered during the course of my internships were relating to procedural/system changes, such as alterations to evening event bookings and changes to the newsletter format. I worked closely with colleagues to ensure that transitions were smooth and asked further questions where necessary. I created a comprehensive document detailing the new procedures to guide others in future.

“Jess was brought in to cover maternity leave of a permanent member of staff.  She was an excellent team player, flexible and hard working.  She was keen to ensure she understood what was required of her and wanted to learn.  Her positivity was a delight to have in the office.  As part of her role she had to communicate regularly with employers wanting to work with the University in promoting their internships and graduate role.  Her interpersonal style and customer service were excellent and I had no hesitation in leaving her to get on with it.  We would have offered her a permanent role had she not already secured an alternative role at the University!” – Line Manager.

Research Assistant – South West Heritage Trust

Access to Internships (A2I), Education, Teaching and Research, Employer Feedback, History, Libraries and Heritage,

researchsouthwest

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

My main responsibilities as a intern with the South West Heritage Trust were cataloguing material dating from the First World War, for a HLF-funded scheme called the ‘Devon Remembers Heritage Project’. My role involved organising and attending meetings with local heritage centres across the county, as well as compiling the results of volunteer research groups into accessible formats such as Excel or Word.

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

My biggest achievement during the internship was securing an additional three months of employment with the company, which commenced immediately after the initial contract was due to finish. I was really pleased to see that my work and contribution to the company had been so highly valued and a contract extension will allow me to become more heavily involved in various aspects of the Devon Remembers project.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I saved my line manager a great deal of time searching through archive collections and driving around the county to visit other local archives. I was able to compile large amounts of information into a usable form for Katherine and the company’s archivists.

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

Whilst not directly related to the content of my work, the most major problem in my internship was the hour-long commute by car. I overcame this by downloading audio books to listen to whilst driving and it made the travelling much more bearable.

“Ciaran is an excellent member of the team and we have offered him further employment as a result of his internship. His skills, attitude and aptitude for learning all make him an asset to the organisation” – Devon Remembers Heritage Project Officer

Career Zone Website Intern – University of Exeter

History, Human Resources, Recruitment and Training, Information Technology, Student Campus Partnership (SCP),

website

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

Working with T4 Site Manager software to update and refine the Career Zone section of the website. I created graphics, logos, new content and a range of other videos to help make the site more appealing to students.

I was also tasked with updating various documents associated with the website, to ensure it remains up-to-date and looked after.

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

My biggest achievement was being able to learn T4 and use it effectively.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

My employer now has a new section of the website they can bring live, with a range of new content that I have created for them.

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

I mainly struggled with T4, but was able to innovate and figure out solutions through the process of trying and failing.

Business Development Intern – Audio Analytic

Advertising, Marketing and PR, Employer Feedback, History, Modern Languages,

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

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

To research and develop different verticals for the company to deploy its technology into. To come up with solutions to non-technical problems incurred by the company.

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

The internship was a fantastic opportunity to develop my skills in a company and helped me clarify the transitional steps between higher education and a career.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I felt my time at the company was of mutual benefit to both employer and intern. I enjoyed the challenges I was set and felt I carried them out to the best of my ability.

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

I am very grateful for the experience I gained from the internship but in hindsight I would have developed my IT skills more before the internship started.

“Ben was very useful to the company in his approach and delivery of strategic information for the company’s development” – Line Manager

Ben

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.

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Impact Strategist – SportInspired

Charity and Development Work, Employer Feedback, History, Social Guidance and Community Work,

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

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

My role was to make sure that each Community Games worked to ensure that all communications with various partners: corporate clients, sports providers, schools, parents, young leaders and volunteers, were as effective as they could be. I also made sure the delivery of the Games always went above and beyond expectations. On the day of the Games themselves, I briefed the sports providers and made sure that the volunteers and young leaders were mentoring their children effectively.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

It has been an absolute pleasure to work for SportInspired. The SportInspired team are AMAZING! They are extremely hard working, passionate and well, inspiring! I routinely smashed the 35 hour minimum for the working week not because there was huge pressure on me to do so but because I really enjoyed what I was doing and where I was working. I often found myself on evenings and weekends brainstorming ideas for how to streamline the processes for each Community Games and pitching to family and friends to get their employers to sign up with SportInspired. In the first week my role was defined as: ‘making sure each of our Community Games (multi sports festival) had as much impact possible.’ This wide ranging brief gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in all things SportInspired and know that what I was working on would have a lasting impact on the processes surrounding the Community Games. Inspiring children to take up sport is extremely rewarding and the Community Games days themselves are indescribably brilliant. There is no better feeling than what we describe in the office as a ‘mini Win’ – when you turn a child’s day around and with it their perception of sport. Following on from my internship, I hope to continue to work for SportInspired. I would just like to end by thanking Exeter and the Access to Internship scheme, for yet again demonstrating why Exeter is such a fantastic University.

“Felix used a successful blend of his array of skills and talents to be a valuable member of the team throughout the internship. This has been demonstrated through high level analysis of potential client organisations, demonstrating his ability to deal with complex and high level material, through to his boundless enthusiasm with supporting kids trying sports at our multi-sports festivals. He is a classic ‘go-getter’, combining his infectious enthusiasm with an impressive ability to use his initiative, and stay committed to what he is trying to achieve” – Managing Director, SportInspired

Felix

Account Assistant – Arnold KLP

Advertising, Marketing and PR, Employer Feedback, English, History,

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

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

The primary responsibilities of this role included aiding the account handlers in research, creative briefing and client relations.

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

The internship has greatly improved my employability and career development. Over the past six weeks I have been able to progress alongside projects, see them materialise and directly learn from them. It has given me a variety of transferable skills and has taught me that I am capable of immersing myself with a professional environment. I have learnt an exceptional amount about Arnold since being here; about the ethos, the people and the business and it has given me the confidence to pursue this avenue after I finish at University.

An extremely significant experience for me was being given the responsibility to liaise with clients directly and to write and deliver briefs for the creatives. For me this was a true indication that I was trusted and deemed responsible enough to move the projects forward. Essentially, this experience uprooted the stigma about interns for I felt much more integrated, trusted and part of the team, so I am incredibly thankful for that.

“It was a pleasure having Alice here, and she would be welcomed back should the opportunity arise” – Line Manager

Alice

PR and Marketing Assistant – ISCA College of Media Arts

Advertising, Marketing and PR, History, Politics and International Relations,

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

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

The main objective of the role was one of reputation management. The school was looking to improve its reputation to sustain pupil numbers and therefore funding. I was taken on to increase PR and marketing activity and increase awareness of the good work the college does. The PR activity included ‘selling in’ stories into the local press about GCSE results, awards won by pupils and other positive college activity. The marketing role was very varied, encompassing advertising, website work, social media and print marketing such as newsletters and prospectuses.

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

The scheme has been a great stepping stone. I have consolidated skills learned through my education and learned new skills through the variety of tasks I was set.

Research Support Intern – Maritime Library, University of Exeter

Administration, History,

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

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

During my internship I was involved in the cataloguing of the Seymour Collection at the Old Library. This involved adding books to the library catalogue and ensuring that the library’s resources could gain wider exposure to the student body at large. I was particularly mindful of the finite space in which to hold such resources and therefore had to make judgements when I came across copies of books already in the University catalogue. Furthermore, I also gained an appreciation of the importance of the bibliographical information contained within books, particularly in regard to reprints or new editions.

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

I gained an understanding of how the university library functioned and how to catalogue resources.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

By adding books to the catalogue, I helped to increase the library’s accessible holdings which will benefit students in the future.

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

Unfortunately, I was unable to undertake the second of the two tasks assigned as the ELMAP database was inaccessible and by the time this had been rectified I had completed my designated hours.

Widening Participation Intern – University of Exeter Medical School

Advertising, Marketing and PR, History, Hospitality and Event Management, Politics and International Relations,

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

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

I helped to develop activities for school visits, sourced materials for running activities, liaised with academics regarding such activities, supervised the school visits and co-coordinated events.

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

I developed my organisational skills up to a professional standard. I also gained an insight into events management, for example in hosting a student conference for sixth form students.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I was able to take on the tasks that often took longer, such as dealing with lengthy paperwork or meeting with academics, which lightened the workload of my colleagues.

medical