Tag: SME Internship Scheme

My SME Internship: Xiaohan – Centre for International Visiting Artists and Scholars (IVAS)

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I’m Xiaohan. I am a master’s student of Accounting, Finance and Management at the University of Bristol.

It is a great honour to have had the opportunity to work as a Social Media Marketing intern at Centre for International Visiting Artists and Scholars (IVAS).  

Xiaohan takes a picture of herself in a mirror with an SLR camera

IVAS is a newly formed not-for-profit and independent organisation that promotes collaboration and cultural exchanges between universities and international artists and scholars. 

Although this role does not correspond directly to the majors I have studied, I have gained a lot of valuable experience and knowledge through practice. 

‘First and foremost, I would like to thank my manager and mentor, Minyan‘

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My SME Internship: Mehwish – Resilience Brokers

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Mehwish, smiling.

Hi, I’m Mehwish. I was given the opportunity to join Resilience Brokers as a Sustainability Projects Intern. Resilience Brokers helps organisations to use systems thinking to improve the climate resilience of places. 

Climate resilience is the capacity to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to hazardous events, trends, or shocks related to climate.

During my internship, I undertook five research tasks that revolved primarily around building resilient communities and communicating with stakeholders. These included:  

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My SME Internship: Jemima – Vounder Analytics

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Hi, I’m Jemima, a second-year computer science student. Last summer I completed a month-long SME Internship with Vounder Analytics

Vounder Analytics builds bespoke insurance data systems for other organisations and is moving the actuarial and insurance industry away from dated and unsuitable tools such as Excel.  

My experience 

A head and shoulders photo of Jemima, smiling

Before my internship, I did not think I would have been capable of the tasks I worked on. However, the workplace was a brilliant learning environment.

My tasks were clearly explained and presented to me in manageable chunks, with ample opportunity to ask questions. I also learnt a lot about insurance and actuaries (I didn’t even know what an actuary was before I started!). All in all, I was presented with fulfilling and diverse work, without being overwhelmed.

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My SME Internship: Olivia – Bristol Women’s Voice

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This International Women’s Day we’d like to celebrate how our students can make a difference. A great example is Olivia’s SME Internship with a women’s charity in Bristol, here’s what she had to say about her experience. 

A head and shoulders portrait of Olivia

Hello! I’m Olivia, a 3rd year Politics and International Relations student. Last summer I participated in the SME Internship Scheme with Bristol Women’s Voice, a women’s organisation tackling gender issues and inequalities within Bristol. Throughout my internship I learnt about their role in supporting the city’s most marginalised women who experience intersectional disadvantage in day-to-day life and often need support and tools to help better their circumstances. My experience solidified my desire to enter a career in the women’s sector, whilst enhancing my want to enter policy-making spaces to get more resources and funding directed at this extremely under resourced, and often unprioritised sector. 

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My SME Internship: Jasmine – Neuronostics

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Jasmine taking a selfie, smiling. Reads 'First day of work.'

Hi, I’m Jasmine.

I’m a current masters student studying Applied Neuropsychology, and I have just recently completed my marketing internship with Neuronostics Ltd through the SME Internship Scheme.

Neuronostics is a start-up company which aims to utilise mathematical modelling in the EEG diagnosis and prognosis of neurological conditions, such as epilepsy. My main motivation for applying for this internship is I was intrigued by their technology. I’m very interested in the field of neuroscience and it relates to my course.

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My SME Internship: Ozten – Taught by Humans

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A photo of Ozten, smiling.

Hi, I’m Ozten, I study Philosophy and Economics, and I started my internship at Taught by Humans in February, where I worked as a ‘Research and Partnerships Intern’.

As this was a remote internship, my first day started in my room, at my desk, on a video call with Laura (founder of Taught by Humans), where I got to know about all my tasks and projects for the upcoming weeks. Laura is a fun and reassuring person, who always made me feel welcomed in the workplace. She valued my opinions and listened to what I wanted to get out of the experience.

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The SME Internship Scheme: tackling hunger and homelessness one internship at a time

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This week is National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. 

If you’re passionate about making a difference, why not consider arranging an SME Internship with an organisation that is working to prevent hunger and homelessness? We spoke to a few organisations that University if Bristol students have previously had internships with to find out what they do, and why they like the scheme. 

1625 Independent People

Logo: a square made of dots with "1625 Independant people" written next to it.

1625 Independent People works with young people aged 16 to 25 in the southwest.

They work to prevent youth homelessness through early intervention and have taken on interns through our scheme since 2017 to support this work

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My SME Internship: Nathan – Purplefish

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Nathan is a Politics and International Relations graduate who worked as a Social Media intern at Purplefish as part of the SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) Internship Scheme.

A photo of Nathan, smiling.

“Hi, I’m Nathan and I was recently given the opportunity to spend a month as a PR and Social Media Intern at Purplefish, an award-winning, Bristol-based PR and communications firm. Admittedly, I held preconceived notions that an internship would be a relatively uninspired experience that would be undertaken solely for the CV boosting prospects. However, in reality, I couldn’t be further from the truth. 

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6 tips for getting a job in an SME 

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An SME is a small or medium sized enterprise. Over 99% of businesses in the UK are SMEs employing between 0 and 249 people (House of Commons Business Statistics, December 2021).  

There are many benefits to working for a small organisation. You can often develop a broad range of skills and knowledge as being part of a small team often involves taking on a variety of tasks, adding interest to your role. Small organisations can grow quickly and you may be given greater responsibility sooner than working at a large organisation. SMEs are often based in shared office spaces which allows you to network with employees from other organisations and grow your professional network quickly.

Here are our tips for securing an opportunity with an SME:  (more…)

My SME Internship: Katie – Treepoints

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My name is Katie, and I am a 2nd year student studying BA French and Spanish. A photo of Katie smiling.

I completed my SME Internship this June at Treepoints, an online platform start-up which provides support for businesses to take climate action and reduce their carbon emissions.  

The internship took place in London, where I covered a variety of tasks over the month including market research, internal auditing, competitor research, developing selection criteria for new partners and bringing on board a new plastic collection partner.  (more…)