Category Archives: Graduate Business Partnership (GBP)

Employer Case Study: The University of Exeter

Education, Teaching and Research, Employer Feedback, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), Management and Consultancy, , ,

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Name of Organisation: University of Exeter 

Description of Organisation:  

At the University of Exeter, they want to make the exceptional happen, and have a real and lasting impact on the world around them. They are already firmly at the forefront of universities worldwide and their ambition is to increase that position, particularly as a Global 100 institution. They challenge their talented students to achieve more than they ever thought possible and recruit the very best people from around the world to reach greater heights in research excellence, innovation and impact.   

Name of Employer: Craig McEwan 

Job Title:  Academic Developer 

Internship Scheme used:  

The Graduate Business Partnership Scheme (GBP) | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter 

Feedback: 

“Will was the first person that I line managed. He was a good colleague, and I enjoyed the experience.” 

“Will played an important role in supporting the management of this summer’s Students as Change Agents projects. He provided valuable support to the six Change Agent SCPs, their line manager and the three project leads.”

“Will also helped to take forward two important projects in the Academic Development & Skills team. He gathered and consolidated the views of the team and presented suggestions for a new set of standards for ‘writing for the web’ in our team. He also started an important project to map the level and type of academic skills support provided within academic departments across the university. All this work will be taken forward and built on by the team follow his departure.” 

 

Employer Case Study: Devon County Council

Advertising, Marketing and PR, Drama, Employer Feedback, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), , , ,

Name of Organisation: Devon County Council: Communications Team  

Description of Organisation:  

At Devon County Council, they work to improve life across Devon for everyone. They want to create a place that people enjoy living in, as well as a place where people enjoy working. Every day, everyone who works there is making an impact and able to see the differences that they make to the people of Devon.  At Devon County Council, they do everything they can to support staff and help grow their careers. Devon County Council and its staff seek to eliminate discrimination, advance equality and foster good relations.  

Name of Employer: Julia Hulland 

Job Title: Senior Communications Officer 

Internship Scheme used:  

The Graduate Business Partnership Scheme (GBP) | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter 

Feedback: 

“Seeing Hannah’s confidence increase during her time with us was very satisfying. She has some great ideas but had been reluctant to speak up in meetings and put her thoughts across. I hope she leaves us with a lot more faith in her own ability.”

“It has been an excellent experience and we are pleased to have been able to support another University of Exeter graduate in their first job. Unfortunately, our current budget pressures meant we were unable to offer Hannah an extension or full-time role with us, but this is absolutely not a reflection of her ability or suitability. We are very pleased that Hannah has secured a full time, permanent communications role in London. “

Employer Case Study: Devon County Council

Employer Feedback, Geography, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), Modern Languages, Travel and Logistics, , , ,

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Name of Organisation: Devon County Council 

Description of Organisation:  

Devon County Council is one of the largest employers in the County. The County Council recently declared a climate emergency and post COVID-19 there is an urgent need to support the economic recovery. The Government continues to invest in infrastructure to stimulate activity on both these fronts with announcements for more investment in walking and cycling and in public transport. 

The transport planning and road safety team has a key role in developing transport plans to support delivery of ambitious housing and job numbers, whilst also ensuring that they respond positively to Devon County Council’s climate emergency declaration. 

Name of Employer: Hannah Clark 

Job Title: Transport Planning Team Leader 

Internship Scheme used:  

The Graduate Business Partnership Scheme (GBP) | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter 

Feedback: 

“Lauren has contributed towards researching economic benefits of active travel and provided support on public consultation activities. Lauren has also developed initial ideas towards the development of a Local Transport Plan. 

Lauren’s biggest achievement was running a public consultation for an active travel route in Dartmoor.  

Lauren was an exemplar intern, and we are delighted to welcome Lauren as a full-time member of our team.” 

  

Employer Case Study: East Devon District Council

Employer Feedback, English, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), , , ,

 

Name of Organisation: East Devon District Council 

Description of Organisation:  

At East Devon District Council their ambition in the Communications, Digital Services and Engagement Team is to provide a proactive and reactive communication and digital service via all of the council’s external communications channels to ensure East Devon District Council’s reputation as an excellent authority is maintained. 

Name of Employer: Andrew Hopkins 

Job Title: Communications Consultant

Internship Scheme used: 

The Graduate Business Partnership Scheme (GBP) | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter 

Feedback: 

“Vic made an amazing contribution to our team and work during the year she was with us. From the moment she joined she made positive changes – increasing the frequency and quality of our social media content, our e-newsletters and having a willingness to take on any new task asked of her and would work with whoever we asked her to work with. This included working on special projects and events. When the HR intern left, Vic absorbed some of his work in to her own. She also covered when our Communications Officer was away and did whatever was asked of her. 

Vic was amazing from start to finish, but amongst her biggest achievements was her ability to take whatever the project was on and turn this around into a success. Her positive contributions to every task she took on meant she had star quality throughout. 

In summary, I was really pleased with the experience. So much so I have recommended the scheme to others in my organisation and have now recruited 2 more graduate business partners for my team. It has also been gratifying to see Victoria secure an amazing job with Plymouth City Council and we look forward to seeing her progress from here. We are pleased we were able to play a part in her employment journey. Thank you for the opportunity.” 

Employer Case Study: Devon County Council

Employer Feedback, Geography, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), Modern Languages, Politics and Government, Travel and Logistics, ,

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Name of Organisation: Devon County Council 

Description of Organisation:  

Devon County Council is one of the largest employers in the County. The County Council recently declared a climate emergency and post COVID-19 there is an urgent need to support the economic recovery. The Government continues to invest in infrastructure to stimulate activity on both these fronts with announcements for more investment in walking and cycling and in public transport. They are looking for enthusiastic people to step up to this challenge and develop, influence and shape the way people travel around Devon. 

Name of Employer: Hannah Clark 

Job Title: Transport Planning Team Leader 

Internship Scheme used:  

The Graduate Business Partnership Scheme (GBP) | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter 

Feedback: 

“Lauren has contributed towards researching economic benefits of active travel and provided support on public consultation activities. Lauren has also developed initial ideas towards the development of a Local Transport Plan. Lauren was an exemplar intern, and we are delighted to welcome Lauren as a full-time member of our team.“

 

Employer Case Study: The University of Exeter

Employer Feedback, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), , ,

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Name of Organisation:  The University of Exeter 

Description of Organisation:  

At the University of Exeter, they want to make the exceptional happen and have a real and lasting impact on the world around them. They are already firmly at the forefront of universities worldwide and their ambition is to increase that position, particularly as a Global 100 institution. They challenge their talented students to achieve more than they ever thought possible and recruit the very best people from around the world to reach greater heights in research excellence, innovation, and impact. 

Name of Employer: Louise Vennells 

Job Title: Senior Press and Media Manager 

Internship Scheme used:  

The Graduate Business Partnership Scheme (GBP) | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter 

Feedback: 

“Molly was outstandingly organised and efficient. She took on large logistical tasks, including a series of complex student photoshoots, and organising the logistics of a very successful student presence at an event at the Royal Albert Memorial Musuem. Through this work, she contributed to better student engagement and external representation. 

Molly was a highly valued member of the team who calmly orchestrated a number of challenging projects. She was extremely efficient, and routinely delivered beyond expectation, particularly for an intern.” 

“No room for improvement – Molly was fantastic.” 

Employer Case Study: The University of Exeter

Administration, Advertising, Marketing and PR, Employer Feedback, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), Hospitality and Event Management, Uncategorized, , ,

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Name of Organisation: University of Exeter 

Description of Organisation:  

At the University of Exeter they want to make the exceptional happen and have a real and lasting  impact on the world around them. They are already firmly at the forefront of universities worldwide and  their ambition is to increase that position, particularly as a Global 100 institution. They challenge them  talented students to achieve more than they ever thought possible and recruit the very best people  from around the world to reach greater heights in research excellence, innovation, and impact. 

Name of Employer: Louise Vennells 

Job Title: Senior Press and Media Manager 

Internship Scheme used:  

The Graduate Business Partnership Scheme (GBP) | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter 

Feedback: 

“Molly was a highly valued member of the team who calmly orchestrated a number of challenging projects. She was extremely efficient, and routinely delivered beyond expectation, particularly for an intern.” 

“There was no room for improvement – Molly was fantastic.” 

Employer Case Study: University of Exeter

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

Name of Organisation: University of Exeter

Name of Employer: Dr Jennifer Lay

Job Title:  Lecturer

Internship Scheme used: Graduate Business Partnership (GBP) , Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“The student contributed to two research projects. For the first project she assisted with designing a participatory study involving street-attached individuals. She researched potential university and community collaborators and prepared materials for ethical approval (including consent forms and study protocol). Hence, our internwas instrumental in getting this study off the ground and in preparing the necessary documentation. For the second project, she conducted a thorough literature search on the use of spoken language biomarkers for dementia detection. She examined hundreds of articles and compiled summary information on those of interest to our review article on the topic. The GBP suggested useful ways of improving the literature search process and her analysis of the literature provided novel insights that have been useful in this paper project.

Our intern was consistently thoughtful and proactive in her work, and she challenged me to improve the way I conduct research. For example, she identified potential ethical challenges involved in working with street-attached research participants, as well as solutions to these challenges, which I am implementing. She also taught me about software tools and other resources that are instrumental to the experience-sampling work that we do. The student was well-organised and able to analyse complex information in a timely manner. Her capabilities as a research intern far exceed those of most other students at her level. If I had the requisite funding, I would have gladly kept her on as a research team member.”

Employer Case Study: University of Exeter

Advertising, Marketing and PR, Employer Feedback, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), Internship Schemes, , , ,

Name of Organisation: University of Exeter

Name of Employer: Louise Vennells

Job Title: Senior Press and Media Manager

Internship Scheme used: Graduate Business Partnership (GBP) , 

Feedback:

“Our intern hit the ground running through helping to close a feedback loop of improvements that had been made as a result of student feedback, and celebrating student successes stories via our website and social media. She also placed a number of stories in the media successfully. They made a big impact in increasing the visibility of students on our @exetermed social media channels.

The student was a very capable, competent intern. She brought a range of skills to the role and was such a highly valued colleague that she was quickly promoted within the team, ending the internship.”

Student Case Study: Communications Assistant – UofE

Administration, Advertising, Marketing and PR, Degree subject, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), Internship Schemes, , , ,

Name of Student:  Ayooluwatomi Adesina

Degree Subject:  MA Creative Writing

Job Title: GBP 5836 Communications Assistant

Company Name:  University of Exeter

Type of Internship:  Graduate Business Partnership (GBP)

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

During my internship, I worked within the University’s Press Office, with a specific focus on celebrating student achievement within the medical school.

In this time, I created a range of visual content for social media channels and campus screens to communicate with the students.

I was also responsible for writing newsletters and reviewing press-releases. I also monitored social media channels and worked with the team to develop strategies to increase brand awareness.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

I think my biggest achievement was moving from an intern to a full time staff within two-three months of being in the role. Thanks to a supportive team, I had learned the ropes pretty quickly and made a decent impression within the team. I was also trained on preparing for interviews which I used in my day-to-day role conversing with students to share their achievements, and academics in publicising research. This built tremendous confidence and articulation which was useful when I interviewed for my new role and I was given the job.

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?

My first challenge was learning how to write “corporately”. As a creative writer, I had a lot of flexibility in my writing style, but corporate writing has a different structure to it. I later learnt how to adapt my creativity to this structure so I could churn out news stories with more panache. My line manager was very patient with me and ensured that I got the hang of it, whilst not losing my flair. I’m pleased to have grown in that task as I’ve added an extra layer of skill in my current role.

Skills Learnt: 

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

Attributes Developed:

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

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

I’d say summarise my experience as “From Intern to Full staff”. This is my second time an intern with the University. The first was an SCP role when I was a Masters’ student in 2020 and I’m grateful for opportunities like this to grow and expand my skills.