Category Archives: Access to Internships (A2I)

Student Case Study: Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru (INCC)

Access to Internships (A2I), Biosciences, Internship Schemes, ,

Name of Student:  Ellyn Baker

Degree Subject:  Biological Sciences

Job Title: Species Monitoring Officer

Company Name:  Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru (INCC)

Type of Internship: Access to Internships (A2I) 

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

To help oversee the marsh fritillary population restoration project including elements of the captive rearing and the translocation process. This will include working with the Species Officer and CEO to water devil’s-bit scabious plants, replenishing food sources and moving caterpillars to their receptor site. In addition, the role will work with staff and volunteers to supplementary plant devil’s-bit scabious at the receptor site.

To help deliver wildflower meadow restoration within the Amman Valley. This will include helping to collect wildflower seed from donor meadows and broadcasting them on receptor sites in the valley.

To undertake research on two invertebrate species identified on the Rhosydd Bryn-maen SSSI citation at Cefn Garthenor. The species include, Lilljeborg’s whorl snail (Vertigo lilljeborgi) and the oxbow diving beetle (Hydroporus rufifrons). Research will include the species’ ecology and habitat as well as survey methodologies.

Help raise the profile of INCC and the different projects and their outcomes through social media posts, written articles, press releases and other suitable media.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

My biggest achievement was helping with the marsh fritillary reintroduction project. We reintroduced marsh fritillaries to a site where they haven’t been for over 20 years, so it was very rewarding to conduct larval web surveys, which revealed that there is now an established population of breeding butterflies at the site, which was work that I helped to implement. I really enjoyed helping with practical conservation work, the results and benefits of which we already seeing.

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?

My main challenge was spending a week on a remote island, helping to build a new bird hide. The physical demands of manual labour was very challenging, however I overcame this by focusing on the task in hand and remembering that it was for a good cause that I am passionate about, so I wanted to help. Also, motivation from other team members, and working as a team also made the work more enjoyable.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Communication
  • Teamwork and Collaboration
  • Problem Solving

Attributes Developed:

  • Confidence
  • Initiative
  • Motivation

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

My internship experience was very enjoyable, and I had the opportunity to undertake many different and varied tasks. I loved the hands on experience of practical conservation work, and seeing the positive effects that it would bring to local wildlife and people. Working within the industry has allowed me to make many new contacts and learn and develop so many new skills. It was also eye opening and inspiring to see the level of passion and commitment that the other members of the organisation put into their work, so it was great to be able to work with them and learn from them about what it takes to succeed in this industry, and I hope to be able to work with them again in the future.

Student Case Study: RJ Working

Access to Internships (A2I), Business and Management, Charity and Development Work, Education, Teaching and Research, Internship Schemes, , ,

Name of Student:  Katelyn Wells

Degree Subject:  BSc Business

Job Title: PR and Communications Support Worker

Company Name:  RJ Working

Type of Internship: Access to Internships (A2I) 

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

I have been responsible for the set-up and maintenance of a new, fit-for-purpose, website for the organisation. I have also taken a key role in the internal and external communications which aided in my role of organising two events, one being the 10th Birthday Party for the organisation, and the other working with a team to deliver an event for young people across Cornwall.                                                                                                                                       

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

I have loved my internship and have had the opportunity to learn and develop my skill set in many areas. Regarding hard skills, project management, communication and web design are just a few that I have enjoyed. Being able to work on and deliver an incredible event to young people regarding tackling discrimination has been brilliant.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Organisation
  • IT

Attributes Developed:

  • Creative thinking
  • Work Ethic
  • Professionalism

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

What I have enjoyed the most is the development of team communications, working in a small charity that are all so passionate about social and cultural change has been an incredible experience that I will carry with me throughout my career. I have been supported in challenging my capabilities both professionally and personally. My confidence in a professional environment has grown substantially. Overall my experience with the internship has been invaluable.

Employer Quote: 

“She has been critical to the launch and development of our website, our twitter developing use of Twitter and our events management. In July Katelyn was central for 2 events – co-ordinating our Tenth Birthday Party celebration, hosted at Trebah Garden, and a Together For Justice event for young people in which she played a leading role. Katelyn has also been central to our Climate Action Group, helping to co-ordinate, noting meetings.” – Deborah Mitchell CEO

Employer Case Study: 

https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/internships/employer-case-study-rj-working-cio/

Student Case Study: Mousetrap Theatre Projects

Access to Internships (A2I), English, Internship Schemes, Leisure, Sport and Tourism, , , ,

Name of Student:  Jemima Unsworth

Degree Subject:  English

Job Title: Family First Nights Assistant

Company Name:  Mousetrap Theatre Projects

Type of Internship: Access to Internships (A2I) 

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

I assisted across the entire four month programme.

My roles included
– processing applications
– registering organisations.
– liaising with box offices, marketers, and producers.
– solving queries
– organising the launch event.
– assisting with work shops.
– creating resources for the programme.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

Processing 270 of the 300 applications and organising the launch event.

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?

I felt overwhelmed at points with my workload but was able to open up about this to make my work load more manageable.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Strategic Planning
  • IT
  • Networking

Attributes Developed:

  • Creative thinking
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic
  • Professionalism

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

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.

Employer Case Study:  University of Exeter Business School

Access to Internships (A2I), Business and Management, Education, Teaching and Research, Employer Feedback, Internship Schemes, , ,

Name of Organisation: University of Exeter Business School

Name of Employer: David Monciardini

Job Title: Senior Lecturer

Internship Scheme used:  Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“Our intern took an active role in our event on local food policy contributing in a very mature way to the debate about food insecurity.

Some of his tasks were:

– Research on Sustainable Food Places network.
– Comparison of Sustainable Food Places policies with Milan Urban Food Policy Pact ones.
– Presentation of the results of the desk research.
– Data mining and investigation of local food policy partnerships in Cornwall.
– Organisation of a policy research event as part of the Cornwall Food Policy Pact

The student is really quick to learn and he has a bright character that will allow him to work well with everyone in his future career. A great person to work with. I had a very positive experience and I hope he also benefited from this internship.”

 

Employer Case Study: Opportunity China

Access to Internships (A2I), Education, Teaching and Research, Employer Feedback, Internship Schemes, Language and Translation,

Name of Organisation: Opportunity China

Name of Employer: Stephanie Day

Job Title: Operations Manager

Internship Scheme used: Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“Our intern is becoming more familiar with Chinese social media management, and uses her Mandarin skills to build rapport with customers. She has got involved, quickly became part of the team, and took all that’s been passed to her!

Really positive experience, thank you. Work experience is so important for students to obtain, and our intern has been a delight!”

Employer Case Study: University of Exeter

Access to Internships (A2I), Education, Teaching and Research, Employer Feedback, Internship Schemes, Science, , , ,

Name of Organisation: University of Exeter

Name of Employer: Remy Chait

Job Title: Lecturer

Internship Scheme used: Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“Our intern was set the task of researching and testing a new assay for the laboratory to measure mutation rate in bacteria. She accumulate literature resources on the assay and performed initial testing to compare it to literature benchmarks. Included in these tests were assays in conditions specific to the lab focus of antibiotic resistance. She summarized her findings well at the end of the internship.

Having supervised the student on her 3rd year Bioscience project, this internship was a good opportunity to give her a slightly different direction and the chance to develop a higher level of independence in the lab working on a small-scale project. The project was new to her and she had complete control of it, which I believe was useful in her exploration of guiding her own work.”

Employer Case Study: University of Exeter, CMH

Access to Internships (A2I), Education, Teaching and Research, Employer Feedback, Internship Schemes, , , ,

Name of Organisation: University of Exeter, CMH

Name of Employer: Rachel Hayes

Job Title: Senior Research Fellow

Internship Scheme used:  Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“Our intern had excellent attention to detail, always turned up to schools early and was happy to stay longer to anonymise data with me, and she had a great presence with the children. She also took onboard feedback I gave her on the first day which showed great team working. On top of her excellent work during school visits, she was extremely fast and efficient at data entry!

It was really great to have the student as part of our team and I would highly recommend this scheme.”

Employer Case Study: University of Exeter, Biosciences

Access to Internships (A2I), Biosciences, Education, Teaching and Research, Employer Feedback, Internship Schemes, , , ,

Name of Organisation: University of Exeter, Biosciences

Name of Employer: Chris Thornton

Job Title: Professor of Fungal Immunology

Internship Scheme used:  Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“Our intern had completed an undergraduate lab project with me between Sept and Dec 2021. The internship allowed her to return to my lab to carry out further experiments related to her initial project. The outputs from this additional work have allowed completion of key experiments needed for advancement of our research and development activities.

She gained valuable additional experience working in a research laboratory, adding to her skills base and building her confidence as a scientist. She produced results of publishable quality, and she will be included as a co-author on a peer-reviewed paper in a high impact factor journal. This will further strengthen our lead in the development of rapid antigen tests for human pathogenic fungi.

A positive experience, allowing the intern to gain valuable further hands-on experience in a research and development laboratory, and adding valuable data to our R&D programme.”

Employer Case Study: University of Exeter

Access to Internships (A2I), Biosciences, Education, Teaching and Research, Employer Feedback, Internship Schemes, , , ,

Name of Organisation: University of Exeter

Name of Employer: Barbara Tschirren

Job Title: Senior Lecturer in Biosciences

Internship Scheme used:  Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“The intern participated in the fieldwork for a bird population monitoring project. Besides regular nestbox checks, she was involved in the monitoring of insect abundance in the birds’ territories and in vegetation surveys. The student was actively involved in all these processes and helped to optimise monitoring protocols. She mastered the different new field techniques within a short period of time, showed a lot of enthusiasm for fieldwork and helped to optimise field protocols.

The project greatly benefited from having our intern in the team and her contribution to data collection made a real difference. At the same time, the internship allowed the student to gain valuable new field techniques skills that will be highly valuable for a career in ecological research or consultancy. A win-win overall.”

Employer Case Study: People and Mining: University of Exeter

Access to Internships (A2I), Education, Teaching and Research, Employer Feedback, Internship Schemes, , , ,

Name of Organisation: People and Mining: University of Exeter – SSIS – Politics and International Relations

Name of Employer: Deborah McFarlane

Job Title: Lecturer

Internship Scheme used: Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“Our intern contributed to some of the ongoing activities of our network, helping to organise online workshops, taking minutes from meetings, note taking and writing up blogs from research panels. He has also done a range of development work, for example infographics to use on social media.

Working closely with members of the People and Mining team gave the student experience of a range of tasks and also situated him as a core member of our group. Our intern’s confidence grew and he took on some projects that he was instrumental in creating and planning, such as the infographics.

It’s been great, we have learned a lot working with Jack and I believe the experience has been beneficial for him.”