My SME Internship: Lana – Supported Independence

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Hi, I’m Lana. I carried out my SME Internship as a mental health support worker at Supported Independence (SI), within their Redcliffe branch.

I began by attending three days of training: the first two days were company-specific training carried out by SI staff, and the third was run by an external company regarding breakaway and challenging behaviour.  On the days of my inductions, I shadowed a few different experienced mental health support workers with clients they supported.

After approximately one week of shadowing, I began working with clients one-on-one. This included: 

  • meal supporting clients struggling with eating disorders 
  • supporting clients with their day-to-day activities, such as trips to the supermarket, appointments, managing finances, and supporting with medication  
  • listening to those who wanted to talk about how they were feeling. 
Lana drinking a cup of tea

Throughout my internship, I learned how to better support clients in a person-centred way, whereby their individual needs were my priority.

I was given the opportunity to ask other support workers about individual clients’ needs in order to make them feel more comfortable with the way I approach them.

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My SME Internship: Yueqi – New Silk Route

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Hi, I’m Yueqi.  In the final year of my postgraduate studying Marketing (Msc), I luckily found an SME Internship as a Marketing Intern for New Silk Route.

A photo of Yueqi smiling.

My internship included writing content on social media platforms, such as writing posts to attract customers to enquire about the company’s services and close deals.

Most of the time I worked remotely but I still needed to meet with customers to fulfill their desires and offer appropriate services. 

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How volunteering can transform your university experience

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Volunteering in your local community connects you with others and creates positive change.

Over the past academic year, the team at Bristol Hub have supported over 180 Bristol students to engage in social action.

Bristol Hub manager Sorcha Young shares the impact that volunteering can have:

Bristol Hub students volunteering

“Social action takes many forms. It can range from donating money to good causes to creating campaigns or running community-based events. I love making a change by getting hands-on and volunteering in my community.”

Niamh Harrington, Bristol Hub one-off Volunteering Coordinator 

How volunteering enhances wellbeing 

85% of Bristol Hub’s student volunteers agreed that participation enhanced their well-being during university. Where there are many challenges to university, such as loneliness, academic pressures and an overwhelming amount to do, volunteering provides a space to escape and connect.

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Could you be an INTRApreneur?

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Develop your intrapreneurial skills and gain invaluable experience working with inspiring entrepreneurs with IKEEP.

Students involved in the IKEEP programme engage in online training in a range of business areas such as managing innovation, business model canvas and leadership strategies. 

From here, students can apply for a short project placement (a commitment of 70 hours per student, spread flexibly over 4 weeks), working remotely for a regional business or charity as part of an interdisciplinary team of 3 students.  

Some of this year’s IKEEP participants at our IKEEP mingle event.

We spoke with Mansour Alshamsi, a student who has previously participated in IKEEP training and an industry project placement to find out about his experience in the IKEEP programme. 

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How to succeed in a graduate programme: top tips from FDM.

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Ready to start your first job? Graduate programmes are a popular choice for graduates, offering a great way to kickstart your professional journey.

These programmes are designed to prepare you for the job market, equipping you with the necessary skills and knowledge to stand out from the competition.

At FDM, we’ve been connecting people with technology for over 30 years. Our graduate programmes attract thousands of individuals each year, helping them discover exciting opportunities in business and tech.

But what skills are recruiters looking for in candidates? The FDM recruitment team spill the beans…

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My SME Internship: Mengying – NuNano

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The SME Internship Scheme enables you to gain quality, paid work experience from small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK, including charities, social enterprises and start-ups.     

Mengying’s internship ran with funding from Bristol Innovations, here’s what she had to say about her experience: 

Mengying next to a red phone box

Hi, I’m Mengying, a current postgraduate student studying Management (International Human Resource Management).

I have just completed a Sales Internship with NuNano Ltd through the SME Internship Scheme, from January to April this year.  

NuNano is a company specialising in the design and manufacture of probes for atomic force microscopy and cantilever-based sensor devices.

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The social mobility superstars breaking barriers

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The Student Social Mobility Awards (SSMAs), organised by upReach, celebrate the achievements of undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds from across the UK.

The SSMAs recognise students who have excelled in their studies and beyond, and have demonstrated great resilience, determination or initiative, or boosted their employability in innovative ways.

Filipe Costa Figueiredo is a 4th year joint Honours Politics and Spanish BA and has been shortlisted for two awards:

  • Undergraduate Awards: Academic Success for those who have achieved the most impressive academic feats whilst at university, breaking through barriers in the process
  • Undergraduate Sector Award: Professional Services and Consulting which recognised outstanding achievement in specific career sectors while at University.

We chatted to Filipe (pictured below) about why he thinks he was nominated and why social mobility is important.

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Students rise to the City Challenge!

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This academic year we have run some amazing City Challenges, boosting students’ skills and helping local community organisations to increase their profile and impact.

More than 90 students from across all years and a range of disciplines have given an afternoon of their time to help eight non-profits solve a real dilemma they were facing.  

In February this year, we welcomed student organisation Bristol Hub, who wanted ideas on how to recruit more student volunteers and raise their profile and reach with students.

Students presenting their ideas at the Cider Project City Challenge

Bristol Walk Fest joined us in April, looking for ideas to attract a younger crowd to their annual event and brainstorm fundraising ideas.

Last month we hosted Bristol Cider Project, a University of Bristol initiative, which needed ideas to source windfall and waste apples from Bristol residents to make into a community cider. 

“Overall, the City Challenges Programme was instrumental in providing me with valuable insights into how community-focused initiatives can create a positive impact on society.” City Challenge student 

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My SME Internship: Rowan – Educational Action Challenging Homophobia

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Educational Action Challenging Homophobia (EACH) is a multi-award-winning charity which works to affirm the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and reduce discrimination experienced because of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Since 2013, EACH has hosted 15 SME interns through our SME Internship Scheme. 

EACH branding, a cartoon drawing of people lined up in rainbow coloured clothing.

So why does EACH participate in the SME Internship Scheme each year? Here’s what Jonathan Charlesworth, Executive Director of EACH, says:

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