Tag: SME Internship Scheme

My SME Internship: Ollie – Rebellious Co

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Hi, I’m Ollie and during my second year studying Politics and International Relations BSc I completed an internship with Rebellious Co in Bristol. 

Rebellious Co. operate informal “Rebel Meetup” events for entrepreneurs working all over the world who were born in Bristol. Their aim is to use entrepreneurship as a vehicle to disrupt the status quo. I met the founder Ash at the Bristol chapter, where I suggested the SME Internship idea. 

Ollie, smiling outside in the sunshine, wearing a white shirt, with a backdrop of lush green trees and blue sky.

My role was to research, develop, and add a syndicate investment model to the existing community system. This work aligned with my interests in start ups and venture capital and helped me hone my skills.

I also supported Rebel Meetups globally. This included finding event sponsors, editing slides, and joining town hall events with global meetup hosts. 

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Mental health and mushrooms: from intern to co-founder

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An interview with Chris Baker, the founder of No Ordinary Moments, on his experience of the SME Internship Scheme and why he made his intern a co-founder of his company.

How did No Ordinary Moments start? 

As a former college athlete in North Carolina, I’ve always been intrigued by sports performance and nutrition.

The idea for No Ordinary Moments first came to me when I was an intern working 15-hour days in Silicon Valley, drinking 5 plus coffees a day. 

I believed my coffee habit enhanced my energy, focus, and productivity. However, I didn’t understand why I often felt anxious, jittery, overwhelmed, and lacked energy.

My caffeine dependency was amplifying my internal struggles, so I embarked on a journey to create my own drink. 

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My SME Internship: Emilia – Action on Poverty

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Hello, my name is Emilia, and in my final year of studying French and Spanish I completed an internship as a fundraising assistant with the charity Action on Poverty.

The charity supports vulnerable communities in East and West Africa. It works to tackle poverty, injustice and inequality. I completed this internship working for around 10 hours a week from January to May.

Emilia sitting on a rock, smiling, with a city in the background.

I found that this worked well and allowed me to balance working and studying. The internship was entirely remote and was a great introduction to working remotely.

I learnt that a lot of charities are now entirely or partly remote, so that they can cut down on office costs. 

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The SME Internship Scheme: what you have to offer an SME.

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If you’re looking for a paid internship, sourcing your own can be a great way to find an opportunity in a sector that you’re really interested in.

The SME Internship Scheme  offers funding to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to help them take you on for a paid internship for at least 140 hours.

You can participate in the scheme by applying to our advertised opportunities on mycareer.

SME Internship branding.

You can also approach organisations yourself to see if they would like to employ you by applying for the scheme.

When you’re approaching SMEs to ask for an internship opportunity, it might feel like you’re asking for something only you benefit from. However, it’s important to remember that an internship can be mutually beneficial, and SMEs in particular can reap big rewards from taking on a University of Bristol Intern! 

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My SME Internship: Aarya – Drinks Kitchen

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This past summer, I had the incredible opportunity to intern with Drinks Kitchen, a pioneering company in the non-alcoholic beverage industry.  

Located in Bristol, Drinks Kitchen is on a mission to redefine social drinking norms by offering high-quality, environmentally mindful non-alcoholic drinks. The internship was part of the SME Internship Scheme, which aims to provide students and recent graduates with quality, paid work experience.   

Drinks Kitchen logo
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Celebrating Black History Month at the University of Bristol: A Student Perspective

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Hi, my name is Nicole a third year studying Marketing BSc. I am also a Careers Ambassador and a Communications Intern at the Careers Service. 

As a Black student at the University of Bristol, Black History Month holds a special significance for me. It’s a time to reflect on the rich cultural heritage, achievements, and contributions of Black communities in our academic family, not only in the UK but around the world.

More than that, it’s an opportunity to have our voices heard, our experiences valued, and to celebrate the diversity that makes our university such a vibrant place.

The Careers Service’s approach to this celebration is embedded in a genuine desire to empower Black students with resources being available for students all year round, not just during the month of October.

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My SME Internship: Jack – Ocki Sustainability

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Hi, my name is Jack and during my third year studying Biology Bsc I got the opportunity to work as an intern at Ocki Sustainability. 

Ocki is a website that provides free information on broad sustainability issues for the general public. It includes a member service to help sustainability professionals engage with colleagues to drive impact forwards.  

My role

I created news desk content including short articles and longer features. The topics I covered ranged from sustainability education to circular economy policies. I also discussed my ideas for content with colleagues. If they were suitable for Ocki’s audience, I could write about them.

Jack smiling in a check shirt.

My experience broadened my awareness of current sustainability issues. It also gave me a better understanding of routine research work done by journalists.  

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My SME Internship: Tom – QLM Technology 

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Hello! My name is Tom and I took an internship with QLM Technology for 3 months, funded through the SME Internship Scheme. 

I initially contacted the company through their website and quickly received a response and interview from the R and D Team. I had heard about the company through their links with Bristol University and the QTEC Quantum incubator program that the company was founded from.

I was looking to gain experience in research and experimental science, since my degree had unfortunately been impacted by COVID, reducing the opportunity for me to access labs during my studies. The company were happy to host me and give me the opportunity to learn lab skills while also seeing how a small company works. 

A photo of Tom smiling in a white shirt.
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My SME Internship: Ben – SatSense

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Hi, I’m Ben. I’m a second year PhD student in the School of Earth Sciences, focusing on understanding ground deformation of volcanoes using satellite borne radar imagery.

In April 2024, I worked as an Earth Observation Intern with SatSense, a Leeds-based SME (Small/medium-sized Enterprise) that provides services assessing, monitoring, and alerting for changes in ground deformation for a wide range of clients using satellite-borne radar imagery.  

A photo of Ben wearing waterproof outdoor clothing smiling, with hills and a lake in the background.
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Working for a scientific SME: advice from professionals

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“Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) make up a large proportion of the UK’s economy and account for approximately 30% of graduate employment” (AGCAS, 2022),

Finding and applying for work experience, including internships, or graduate roles, in SMEs can be different to schemes with larger employers. In April 2024, the Careers Service invited three professionals, who work in scientific SMEs, to share their advice:

Scientist carrying out an experiment in the lab
  • Dr Mark Benizett, VetIMD – Pioneering isothermal molecular diagnostics solutions for the animal health sector
  • Dr Clio Andreae, GenomeKey – Biotechnology using cutting edge machine learning and DNA sequencing to treat Sepsis
  • Dr Ed Jones, Kelpi – World-leading sustainable materials innovation business – harnessing the properties of seaweed to create compostable, marine-safe, low-carbon bioplastic packaging
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