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

My main responsibilities included: interview volunteers about their experience of volunteering, interview project managers about the role and impact of volunteers in their project, shadow staff members in all departments to gain insight into their roles and how they interact with volunteers, design and run a focus group with a small group of clients to ascertain the impact volunteers have on them, transcribe and summarise interviews, produce a report about the findings of the interviews, outline findings, make recommendations for future work, and, present the report to key staff members.

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

My biggest achievement during this internship was gaining confidence in applying ‘classroom knowledge’ to real life problems and situations. I was able to see the project through from start to finish, which has given me confidence in being able to describe hands on experience in interviewing, research and evaluation.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I was able to complete a project that the employer had wanted to carry out for some time (but had previously been unable to), providing research and evidence that has a multitude of uses. They will be able to use these findings to potentially make changes to their volunteering processes, and as evidence in applying for grants.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Problem solving, leadership, IT

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Perseverance, personal awareness, professionalism