Category Archives: Charity and Development Work

The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum – Employer Case Study

Access to Internships (A2I), Charity and Development Work, Classics and Ancient History, Employer Feedback, History, Hospitality and Event Management, Internship Schemes, Modern Languages, Theology, Uncategorized, , , ,

Name of Organisation:  The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum

Description of Organisation: The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum is home to one of the largest collections of material relating to the moving image in Britain. We are both an accredited public museum and an academic research facility and we hold a collection of over 85,000 items. Over 1,000 of our items are on display in our Galleries and are available to be viewed by the public.

Name of Employer:  Phil Wickham

Job Title: Curator

Internship Scheme used:  A2I

Employer subsidies (A2I) – Employment Services – University of Exeter

Feedback:

We recruited a Curatorial Intern who researched and produced data to support a planned funding bid and also assisted with other key duties in the museum. The main research task was to assist with funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund (NLHF). This work was completed to a very high standard. She also looked into an array of academic researchers who had used the museum’s collections and got in touch with them about their publications or projects. The intern was confident, organised and hardworking, this showed specifically through her preparation of a talk on pre-cinema in the museum’s gallery. She then went on to present this to visitors which was received with much enthusiasm. The internship went very well. She continued to volunteer for us after her internship and did some really valuable data analysis work on the museum’s visitors that will help us to develop. 

This is an excellent scheme. We have used A2I twice and both times been able to benefit from exceptional talents. We highly recommend taking on an intern from the University of Exeter.  

Quote from Intern:

“I honestly could not fault this experience whatsoever. I was able to combine my academic studies with real-world practical experience. Phil allowed me to use my initiative and offer my own suggestions in relation to the museum’s redevelopment project, which caused me to feel like a real part of the team. It also allowed me to demonstrate my ability to think creatively and intuitively rather than simply wait for instructions. I am eternally grateful for the encouragement that I received throughout the four weeks. This internship confirmed to me that I have chosen a career path that I am well-suited to.”

Devon County Council – Employer Case Study

Charity and Development Work, Employer Feedback, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), Internship Schemes, Politics and Government, , ,

Name of Organisation:  Devon County Council

Description of Organisation: Devon County Council is the county council administering the English county of Devon which is based in the city of Exeter. The members are elected every four years to reflect the electorate of each county division. Most being nominated by the large national political parties.

Name of Employer:  Nicola Channon

Job Title: Resilience Lead

Internship Scheme used:  GBP

Graduate Business Partnership (GBP) – Employment Services – University of Exeter

Feedback:

The internship process enabled us to recruit an intelligent and capable young person to be part of our Emergency Planning Team. The intern responded effectively to emergencies in the County by having up to date and comprehensive plans, specifically the Coastal Pollution Plan. The information was gathered through site visits and meetings with partners and the data gathered in this way provided. the detail needed to ensure plans are up to date and reliable sources of information. The intern completed all tasks with enthusiasm and diligence.

The graduate completed a piece of work that needed focused effort and would have been difficult to get done otherwise – but that is an important aspect of our work. It was completed to a very high standard.

Our intern has proved to be an interested and effective member of the team. His experience has led to a post with a neighbouring authority which he well deserves.

 

Twenti Ltd – Employer Case Study

Access to Internships (A2I), Advertising, Marketing and PR, Charity and Development Work, Employer Feedback, Internship Schemes, ,

Name of Organisation:  Twenti Ltd – twenti.com

Description of Organisation: We use digital marketing and the Google Ad Grants to help charities get found online, engage more supporters and receive more funding to achieve their mission. With sustainability at our core and by helping charities and non-profit organisations reach those in need we hope to make the world a better place.

Name of Employer:  Luke Barratt

Job Title: Chief Executive Officer

Internship Scheme used:  A2I

Employer subsidies (A2I) – Employment Services – University of Exeter

Feedback:

We recruited an intern to work as a Content Creator for us through the Internship Scheme with the University of Exeter.

Our intern was involved on client projects which received extremely positive feedback and led to repeat business which was fantastic.

The student was very well prepared for the workplace and was an extremely welcome addition to the content creation team. She provided great value on both a strategic and operational level for the company and our clients. Her ability to work independently and learn quickly on the job was instrumental in helping us reach our targets and refine our social media strategy.

I recommend her and the A2I scheme 120% to other employers in the digital marketing industry. The whole experience was very positive and our intern was very beneficial to us as a company and as a team.

Quote from Intern:

“I brainstormed and planned campaigns with team members as well as found a good software to use to implement this, which was then adopted by the rest of the team.”

 

 

Devon County Council- Employer Case Study

Administration, Charity and Development Work, Defence and Public Protection, Employer Feedback, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), Internship Schemes, Law, Politics and Government, Politics and International Relations, Social Guidance and Community Work, , ,

Name of Organisation: Devon County Council

Description of Organisation and Role: Devon County Council is the county council administering services across Devon. The members are elected every four years to reflect the electorate of each county division. Most being nominated by the large national political parties.

The main purpose of the internship was to support the Democratic process of Devon County Council to assist in ensuring those processes are carried out in accordance with statutory requirements and the Council’s Constitution and procedures and also with the promotion and encouragement of public involvement and participation through, for example, webcasting and social media.

Name of Employer: Karen Strahan

Job Title: Head of Democratic Services

Internship Scheme used:  GBP

Graduate Business Partnership (GBP) – Employment Services – University of Exeter

Feedback:

We recruited an intern to work as a Democratic and Scrutiny Support Officer. He worked on a task group which researched air quality and congestion in Devon. This included producing a report with innovative recommendations targeted at improving air quality and congestion. The report attracted media attention with the Chair undertaking a radio interview, based on the work done by our brilliant intern. Our student became a very important part of our team.

I believe quite passionately about giving young people the opportunity to start their careers and give them a platform to move onwards and upwards. At present there was no vacant full-time position to offer so I made the decision to go through the intern process for a second time.

As a newly appointed manager, I was keen to explore the opportunities offered by the GBP. The fact that I am about to undertake a second placement is testament to the GBP and the calibre of candidates that apply for the positions. The experience was very positive, support from the University of Exeter is excellent and also a fresh face joining the team is always good to shake things up and look at how we do things differently. I recommend hiring an intern, ours was timely and smart and made a positive contribution to our organisation.

 

Restore Support Network- Employer Case Study

Access to Internships (A2I), Charity and Development Work, Defence and Public Protection, Internship Schemes, Law and Legal Services, Social Guidance and Community Work, Sociology and Criminology, , ,

Name of Organisation: Restore Support Network

Description of Organisation: We are a national registered charity who provides personalised and specialist one to one support for people who are in prison prior to release, as well as those who are over the age of 50 with criminal convictions in the community with physical, mental health or social care needs.

Name of Employer: Stuart Ware

Job Title: Chief Executive Officer

Internship Scheme used:  A2I Employer subsidies (A2I) – Employment Services – University of Exeter

Feedback:

We recruited an intern to work as a Trainee Mentor and Coordinator who worked exceptionally well as part of our small team.

We were all very happy with the calibre of the student. She worked hard to meet all the objectives we set and played a lead role in developing an ex-offenders women’s group which was attended by over 10 women.

The University of Exeter student proved an enormous benefit to our charity and she contributed greatly to the development of our women’s support group. Without hesitation we would have her again placed with us. She was a great credit to the university.

We found the internship experience very positive and the contribution our intern made in our organisation was outstanding.

 

 

Designability Charity Limited – Employer Case Study

Access to Internships (A2I), Charity and Development Work, Education, Employer Feedback, Engineering, Sport and Health Sciences,

 

Name of Organisation: Designability Charity Limited

Description of Organisation: We are an independent charity with a mission to create and provide products that enable disabled people to live with greater independence. We aim to draw on the expertise and resources of designers, engineers and occupational therapists to ensure our products make a positive impact in people’s lives.

Name of Employer: Rob Hanson

Job Title: Mechanical Design Engineer

Internship Scheme used:  A2I Employer subsidies (A2I) – Employment Services – University of Exeter

 Feedback:

Our intern worked with us in the user-engagement and requirements gathering for a purpose-designed ‘saddle’ as part of our ongoing development of dynamic seating for children with dystonic cerebral palsy. As a charity, the team’s time and resources are very limited, so the student’s contribution of scoping and defining the product requirements, translating user-engagement to concept ideas, and shaping an early product definition has been useful in moving this part of the project forward.

This contribution of furthering thinking and understanding in this area is extremely valuable in itself.  As a researcher she was extremely thorough in her scoping, thinking and documentation. She has been a pleasure to work with; quiet, considerate and kind.

We feel that the internship scheme is a great way to get students (either undergrad or graduate) industry connected. Our intern joined us for a short internship, bringing fresh thinking and an open mind. Willing to learn, keen to contribute, and driven to make a positive impact with the engineering skills she developed at university, I am glad she could spend some time with us.

 

Quote from Intern:

“My time included home visits to a child who would be using the saddle seat – this improved my skills in user-centered design and helped me understand the complex requirements of seating for dystonic cerebral palsy children. I improved my teamworking skills, in consulting other engineers/occupational therapists on my design. I became more confident in putting forward my ideas, as well as understanding criticisms.”

Artecology- Employer Case Study

Access to Internships (A2I), Charity and Development Work, Employer Feedback, Environmental Work, Internship Schemes, ,

 

Name of Organisation: Artecology

Description of Organisation: Artecology is the innovative research and development department of ARC Biodiversity and Climate. Based on the Isle of Wight, Artecology work with industry and research partners to create bio receptive construction and landscape designs for marine, freshwater and land-based development.

Name of Employer: Ian Boyd

Job Title: Director

Internship Scheme used:  Access to Internships (A2I)

Employer subsidies (A2I) – Employment Services – University of Exeter

Internship Feedback:

We recruited an intern to work as a Research Assistant within our organisation. We set her a number of objectives that she met to a very high standard and she made a very positive contribution to our company.

The key output from our Intern’s work was feasibility work on new ideas for Artecology training modules, essential work that we are continuing to take forwards.

We were really impressed with the calibre of the University of Exeter student. She was well prepared for the workplace and worked very well as part of our team.

The Intern was ‘poached’ by a very large international consultancy! We were very happy for her and actually rather proud that we played some small part in her success.

We found the internship experience with Exeter University (and our outstanding intern) to be really useful to our work and to our thinking about future HE collaboration. We would highly recommend any firm to participate in taking on an Intern with the University.

Volunteer Opportunities Officer – Wheal Martyn

Access to Internships (A2I), Administration, Advertising, Marketing and PR, Archaeology and Anthropology, Art History and Visual Culture, Charity and Development Work, Classics and Ancient History, History, Libraries and Heritage

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

My role for the week was to create four volunteer role profiles. In order to do this I had to speak to people including: the Museum Manager, Curator, Exhibition and Engagement Officer and the Project Manager to inform these roles. I also created promotional material for the new volunteer roles and amended existing application and induction forms to make them suitable.

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

Over the course of my internship I had to arrange meetings with a variety of people both face to face and over the telephone so my biggest achievement was gaining the confidence to talk to these new people in order to complete my work. I think this will be an advantage in any internships or jobs I have in the future as I will have the confidence to speak to a range of people.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

Wheal Martyn have recently been awarded a funding by the Heritage Lottery for a new project called the Clay Works! Project. Due to this, there are many new opportunities for volunteers which need to be communicated to the public. The creation of volunteer role profiles and promotional material will be helpful to Wheal Martyn as these materials will enable the museum to recruit a diverse range of people to become volunteers. Creating these materials can be time consuming and the office is very busy due to the commencement of this new project so the work completed during my internship will help to lighten a small part of the workload the museum currently has.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Communication, research, networking

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Confidence, perseverance, professionalism

 

Volunteering Assistant – Hospiscare

Access to Internships (A2I), Business and Management, Charity and Development Work, Human Resources, Recruitment and Training, Psychology, Sociology and Criminology

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

My main task for the week was to develop a brief and recruitment plan for a new volunteer role to support the HR team. I had a meeting with the HR team members and identified some of their tasks that could be fulfilled by a volunteer. In addition, I identified a new volunteer role that would improve the recruitment process at Hospiscare; I decided that there is room for work in equality and diversity in Hospiscare, and that they needed stronger links between the HR and communications teams. Therefore, I created a volunteer role that would overlap between both areas. I created a recruiting strategy and produced some marketing materials for this, including posters and social media posts. I also did some patient-facing work, including helping out in day care and on the ward.

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

I was initially very nervous about working in this environment, with people nearing the end of their lives and with bereaved families. However, I overcame this fear during my internship through patient-facing work.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I took some of the workload off the volunteering manager who deals with Hospiscare’s 1000 volunteers. Also, I have created a plan which will lighten the workload of the HR team who told me that they are very busy and would love me to create a new volunteer role which would allow them to focus on more difficult tasks.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Customer service, organisation, focus on goals and outcomes

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Motivation, cultural awareness, creative thinking

Church Intern – Grace Church Truro

Access to Internships (A2I), Administration, Charity and Development Work, Classics and Ancient History, Education, Teaching and Research, English, Philosophy

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

My internship involved theology study and assignments, leadership development training and working with a partner charity of Grace Church, Christians Against Poverty. My key area of responsibility was as a Christians Against Poverty ‘Job Club Coach’, helping those who have been out of work to find their way back to different jobs.

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

My biggest achievement was working as a CAP Job Club coach, aiming to help people from low social-economic backgrounds find their way into jobs – it was a challenging and rewarding role.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

Personally I benefited hugely from the theology training and leadership development. I gained a clearer understanding of the types of roles I am interested in taking in the future.