Tag Archives: SBP

Student Case Study: Exeter Science Park

Name of Student: Rebecca Jones 

Degree Subject: Global Sustainability Solutions 

Job Title: Carbon accountant 

Company Name: Exeter Science Park 

Description of Organisation:  

Exeter Science Park is the South West’s centre of activity for businesses in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM). 

It is the result of a vision to develop a regional science park that stimulates a knowledge-based economy, delivering better jobs, higher productivity and economic growth. 

Their mission is to help innovative STEMM businesses to deliver extraordinary growth in a like-minded community. 

Type of Internship:   

 Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)  

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship? 

To calculate carbon footprint for Exeter Science Park and calculate emissions from commuting habits. Also, to provide recommendations on how to lower emissions and which aspects of business protocol were most carbon intensive and create presentation and report of findings. 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

Creating a carbon footprint report for the whole company! The work increased my confidence, gave me insight into corporate life, and provided me with experience that has enhanced my CV massively. 

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?  

Being a remote worker, it was difficult to always stay in contact with the company. We scheduled weekly phone calls to overcome this. Also, being from a non-accounting background, I also struggled with some of the technical expense data. A combination of extra research and maintaining contact with the finance team helped me with this. 

Skills Learnt:  

  • Researching  
  • Organisation 
  • Problem Solving 
  • Communication 

Attributes Developed: 

  • Commercial Awareness  
  • Confidence 
  • Motivation  
  • Independence 

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

My internship experience was a highly-rewarding, independent and a challenging learning curve. I have learnt things about myself and the corporate environment that will be hugely beneficial to life after university. Undertaking the internship alongside my masters was challenging at times but has taught me how to balance high workloads and hugely enhanced my CV for postgraduate work. 

Student Case Study: VTEC Photonics

Free Crop of ethnic system administrator in uniform using screwdrivers and checking motherboard on electronic equipment during work in repair department Stock Photo

Name of Student: Jeremy Prichard  

Degree Subject: Electronic Engineering 

Job Title: Junior Development Engineer Intern 

Company Name: VTEC Photonics 

Description of Organisation:  

VTEC Photonics, subsidiary of VTEC Lasers and Sensors is an innovation solutions company specializing in optics and data integration to create customized systems for a wide variety of industries, including fitness, telecommunication, manufacturing, environmental, and communications. 

Founded in 2011 in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, VTEC Lasers and Sensors is committed to “Improving Quality of Life” with experience in opto-electronics going back to the 80’s developing lasers for the Philips CD-player. They provide technology and products for creating, transporting, bundling, analyzing, and presenting data.  

Type of Internship:  

 Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)   

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship? 

My key duties included undertaking a project involving PCB and software design. 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

My biggest achievement was learning software development. 

Skills Learnt:  

  • Communication 
  • Teamwork and collaboration 
  • Time and Workload Management 
  • Researching  

Attributes Developed: 

  • Motivation 
  • Logical thinking  
  • Independence 

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

The internship was a great experience that taught me a lot about working within a company to develop a product. I was tasked with a project to add additional functionality to an already existing electronics product. This involved some PCB design but mostly software design. It was great to collaborate with other employees at the company and become part of a team. At times it was difficult to balance university work and internship work, but the flexibility of the job meant I could complete different tasks without having too much work. 

Employer Case Study: The Falmouth Distilling Co

Name of Organisation: The Falmouth Distilling Co 

Description of Organisation:  

A distillery on the Cornish coast creating multi-award winning small-batch spirits designed to enjoy in favourite company. With backgrounds in cheffing, science and design, their gins are uniquely distilled with fresh and foraged botanicals, with a focus on incredible flavour, sustainability, and careful craftsmanship. 

Name of Employer: Daisy Hillier 

Job Title: Director 

Internship Scheme used:  

Student Business Partnership (SBP) |Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter 

Feedback: 

“It was Francesca’s responsibility to produce comprehensive sales and marketing data on our own company and market research on others, to understand the size of market. Also, to understand weaknesses of Lovedays and where we should be positioning ourselves. 

She provided really valuable research into our customer base which we can use to better inform our marketing. 

Francesca was an absolute joy to work with, we would employ her in an instant if we had a role for her. She’s clever, self-motivated and has a real desire to be helpful and learn.” 

 Student Quote –  

“My internship has been eye-opening, exciting, and intriguing. I have loved every minute! The work I have undertaken has really assisted my development of organisation (working alongside my degree), IT skills, and general development of understanding what tasks may be given in a sales and marketing position.”

Read Francescas Student Case Study: https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/internships/student-case-study-the-falmouth-distilling-co/ 

Student Case Study: JM Enviro Limited 

Name of Student: Lauren Burke 

Degree Subject: Geography 

Job Title: Flood Risk Consultant Intern

Company Name: JM Enviro Limited 

Description of Organisation:  

JM Enviro Limited was set in 2017 to provide coordinated environmental and engineering input to a wide range of infrastructure, buildings, and masterplan projects. 

Working collaboratively with clients, architects, planning consultants and other technical specialists, JM Enviro Limited delivers technical reports to inform feasibility studies, planning applications and input to design to ensure that the environment is protected and enhanced as part of the development process. 

Their main area of expertise is flood risk and drainage strategy input to buildings and masterplans, but we collaborate, and coordinate input as required on other environmental aspects such as ecology, contamination assessment, noise assessment, and air quality assessment as well as civil, structural, and geotechnical engineering. 

Type of Internship:   

 Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)   

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship? 

My key responsibilities included managing deadlines and ensuring reports were sent out on time. They also involved gathering information from multiple sources to put together flood risk reports 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

My biggest achievement on my internship was helping to produce draft flood risk reports as well as greater self confidence in my capabilities.  

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?  

My biggest challenge was balancing deadlines alongside uni. I overcame this by setting small achievable goals.  

Skills Learnt:  

  • Communication  
  • Teamwork and Collaboration 
  • Focus on Goals and Outcomes 
  • Decision Making 
  • Researching 

Attributes Developed: 

  • Confidence 
  • Initiative 
  • Perseverance 
  • Motivation 

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

“Overall, my internship has been invaluable, and I have learnt so much during the process. 
I have developed valuable skills that I hope to take into the workplace and beyond. “

Student Case Study: Quirk Theatre Company

Free Empty Seats Stock Photo

Name of Student: Katie Foster 

Degree Subject: Liberal Arts  

Job Title: Assistant Producer for Quirk Theatre Company 

Company Name: Quirk Theatre Company 

Description of Organisation:

Witty, playful, and often anarchic, Quirk pride themselves on devising original work with a social conscience, offering a meaningful alternative to pantomime. They have built up a loyal following of family audiences and school groups and are proud that close to four thousand people come to see our Christmas show every year.  

Type of Internship:   

 Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)   

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship? 

I created and maintained the first mailing list for the company with over 40 recipients. I also assisted in evaluation, feedback, and production meetings throughout the lifetime of the show. I constructed two phases of press releases for over 65 different organisations. As well as this I designed and published actor callouts, tailoring them for our Global Majority and Graduate Actor pathways. I crafted the initial design of the show’s programme, which contained over 40 individuals and undertook an accessibility and inclusion audit of the company and located DEI training for all its members. 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

My biggest achievement was gaining a lot of confidence. One of my first tasks was to send out a press release, something I had never done before, and I was initially terrified. However, by doing things like that, I now have the confidence to talk to many more companies and individuals than I did before; what’s the worst that can happen?

Also, creating a mailing list with over 40 recipients has been amazing. Being able to craft and maintain it by myself has meant that I have a real sense of ownership in the company and enjoy the whole process. 

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?  

My main challenge has been learning the rules of the professional workplace. I’m autistic, and this industry is very much based on personal interaction, something I struggle with, so learning what I can do and when has been difficult – though not impossible. A main example of this is when I was at networking events with the company, and I initially found it incredibly hard. However, the company has been extremely welcoming and kind and has really helped me in those situations – for example, during two of the networking events, I had a job that I could focus on doing. I’ll never be amazing at social interaction but having to do it as part of the job really has helped me learn strategies of dealing with it. 

Skills Learnt:  

  • Communication 
  • Problem solving  
  • Negotiation 
  • Organisation 
  • Time and workload management 
  • Researching 
  • Networking  

Attributes Developed: 

  • Commercial Awareness  
  • Confidence 
  • Initiative 
  • Personal awareness 
  • Cultural awareness 
  • Creative thinking 
  • Independence 
  • Work Ethic 
  • Professionalism 

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

My experience with Quirk Theatre has been incredible. I never thought that I’d be able to do half the things I’ve done so far. It’s opened my eyes to the possibility of working in the theatre industry after University, something I had previously thought impossible. Being able to work remotely, and in a freelance style, has helped me develop the skills necessary to maintain work/life balance and given me an outlet that isn’t University work. It has been difficult at times, but the support of the company has been the main reason I’ve been able to do as much as I have done. 

Student Case Study: The Falmouth Distilling Co

Name of Student: Francesca Whetstone 

Degree Subject: Law with Business 

Job Title: Sales Intern 

Company Name: The Falmouth Distilling Co 

Description of Organisation:  

The Falmouth Distilling Co is a distillery on the Cornish coast creating multi-award winning small-batch spirits designed to enjoy in favourite company. With backgrounds in cheffing, science and design, their gins are uniquely distilled with fresh and foraged botanicals, with a focus on incredible flavour, sustainability, and careful craftsmanship. 

 Type of Internship:   

 Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)   

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship? 

My key duties and responsibilities were market research into repeat customers and gaining understanding of customer base. I also completed detailed research into competitors, looking at customer journeys. 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

My biggest achievement was completing a market research report which helped me develop new reporting skills as well as greater business awareness. 

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?  

I felt quite overwhelmed at first as I didn’t feel like I had the relevant experience to produce the report. 

Skills Learnt:  

  • Communication 
  • Ability to Work Under Pressure 
  • Organisation 
  • Time and Work Load Management 
  • Strategic Planning 
  • Researching  

Attributes Developed: 

  • Confidence 
  • Motivation 
  • Initiative 
  • Personal Awareness 
  • Creative Thinking  
  • Independence 
  • Work Ethic 

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

“My internship has been eye-opening, exciting, and intriguing. I have loved every minute! The work I have undertaken has really assisted my development of organisation (working alongside my degree), IT skills, and general development of understanding what tasks may be given in a sales and marketing position.

I was given a thorough brief, which I have been supported by Ruth, Daisy and Chloe to meet. They have been a pleasure to work alongside and have been so supportive of any ideas I had. It has helped me to understand where I might see my career path direction, whilst fulfilling an interest of mine – the distilling process!” 

Student Case Study: The Miniature Pony Centre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name of Student: Olivia Townend 

Degree Subject: Liberal Arts 

Job Title: Social Media and Marketing Creator 

Company Name: Miniature Pony Center 

Description of Organisation:  

The Miniature Pony Center is a farm-based tourist attraction based on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park. They predominantly have miniature Shetlands and miniature horses. As well as several other animals including mammoth donkey, heavy horses, micro pigs, sheep, goats, foals and other horse breeds. They run daily activities including pony rides, grooming and talks. Also, they offer birthday parties and pony club days and run special events during the season. 

Type of Internship:  

 Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)   

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship? 

My key responsibilities included creating content for Social Media sites such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

I managed to organise and facilitate a successful PR visit. 

Skills Learnt:  

  • Communication 
  • Teamwork and Collaboration 
  • Customer Service 
  • Organisation 
  • Time and Work Load Management 
  • Strategic Planning 

Attributes Developed: 

  • Confidence 
  • Creative thinking 
  • Independence 
  • Work Ethic 

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

“My internship was very useful to me, as I haven’t had many chances to try work in fields outside of hospitality. It gave me a chance to put my interest in marketing to the test so that I have a broader knowledge and experience before I begin applying for jobs as I leave university.” 

“Furthermore, I have since taken the knowledge and skills on to apply for another internship (now completed) which I gained due to the knowledge I gained from this.” 

 

Student Case Study: The Nest Southwest CIC

Name of Student: Millie Graves 

Degree Subject: BSc Management with Marketing WIE 

Job Title: Social Media Coordinator and Analyser 

Company Name: The Nest Southwest CIC 

Description of Organisation:  

The Nest Southwest is a not-for-profit, social enterprise, community interest company. It was set up in Devon by local women to support other women and girls through the major life transitions of menstruation, pregnancy, birth and menopause by providing social, emotional and informational support. The organisation is mainly volunteer led with three directors, and a team of volunteers helping run support groups.

Type of Internship:  

 Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)   

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship? 

My key responsibilities included managing The Nest’s social media channels (Facebook and Instagram). Also, I created an online shop to help generate some revenue for The Nest, and creating downloadable products to be sold on that shop 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

My biggest achievement during my internship was creating an online shop from scratch, alongside creating downloadable products to be sold on the shop. 

Skills Learnt: (Change as appropriate) 

  • Communication 
  • Organisation 
  • Time and Work Load Management 

Attributes Developed: 

  • Confidence 
  • Motivation 
  • Independence 

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

“My internship with The Nest Southwest CIC enabled me to greatly develop my social media management skills, requiring me to plan content, create that content using Canva, and then schedule it using Meta Business Suite. Having had this experience, I now feel much more confident in applying to similar roles.

Employer Quote and Link to Case Study:

“It has been great having Yasmeen support our social media. Her eye for detail and research into topics to add to our social media pages has created a lot of useful resources we will continue to refer back to.”

Employer Case Study: Evexia Home Ltd

 Name of Organisation: Evexia Home Ltd 

Description of Organisation:  

Dr Tony Felton, Roy Margolis and Tammy Harvie are the founders and inventors of LifeAide. We have a passion to improve the quality of life of older people and those supporting them. Our backgrounds as a General Practitioner, software engineer and research expert in technology to support healthy ageing, have led us to develop this exciting new product, called LifeAide. We have incorporated a company called Evexia Home Ltd which is our start-up vehicle. 

Name of Employer: Dr Anthony Felton 

Job Title: Director 

Internship Scheme used:  

Employer Subsidies – Access to Internships | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter  

Feedback: 

“We were lucky to have a high-quality intern student who had a genuine interest in the subject and both technical and vocation expertise in the area of development that we were working in. The experience was positive for our organisation and I hope we provided Martha with some useful experience that she can use to forge her future career.” 

Student Case Study: That’s Show Business

Name of Student:  Vidip Khttar 

Degree Subject: BSc Computer Science 

Job Title: AI Prototype Web Developer Intern for Tech Startup 

Company Name: That’s Show Business

Description of Organisation:  

The ineffective current forms of copyright protection to protect media content in online platforms are of major concern to the creative industry. That’s Show Business’s goal is to support and safeguard Creatives with their promotion, copyright, collaboration, and recognition by raising their creative profile to find the aspiring stars of the future, break down the barriers to entry to the underrepresented Creative by providing the power of online communities. 

Type of Internship:   

 Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)   

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship? 

To develop Machine learning algorithms to analyse user interactions as well as develop a testing database to hold all of this data. Generated a report on my work. 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

Learning and using a difficult software that I had previously never used before to generate fake user training data. It required process that I didn’t understand at all at first but quickly was able to learn and effectively use it. 

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure 
  • Organisation 
  • Strategic Planning 
  • Decision Making  
  • Communication 
  • Teamwork and Collaboration 
  • Focus on Goals and Outcomes 
  • Researching 

Attributes Developed: 

  • Confidence 
  • Initiative 
  • Motivation 
  • Independence 
  • Work Ethic 
  • Professionalism 

 

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

“This internship gave me great insight into working in a start-up organisation instead of a large corporation. I met and learned from everyone in the company which taught me many skills. Working in the start-up also gave me a sense of responsibility since my work was essential to the software the company was developing. It was an enriching experience and will allow me to work better with a team moving forward.