Helping you get to where you want to be when you graduate
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.
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.
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.
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.
My experience broadened my awareness of current sustainability issues. It also gave me a better understanding of routine research work done by journalists.
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.
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.
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:
Throughout the internship, I undertook a variety of roles in and out of the laboratory working to support my colleagues and complete my own projects independently.
Extracellular is a start-up company focusing on supporting cultivated meat companies to get their products to market. Cultivated meat is produced by cultivating animal cells, removing the need to raise and farm animals for food.
Part-time work not only allows you to earn cash around your studies, but it also allows you to gain skills and experience future employers will be looking for; teamwork, communication skills, the ability to organise your own time and confidence in the workplace, to name a few.
Hotels, restaurants, bars, and catering companies often require extra staff during peak tourist seasons. Seasonal hospitality jobs may include roles such as servers, bartenders, kitchen staff, and hotel housekeepers.
Afrida, who is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Project Management, recently completed one of our IKEEP project placements with Albotherm and told us about her experience.
I secured a project placement with Albotherm; a start-up specializing in advanced material technology who have developed a groundbreaking solution that adjusts its opacity based on temperature, utilizing sunlight to cool buildings passively during hot weather conditions.
The focus of my project was to facilitate the commercial market launch of this material and to provide insights into potential market integration for Albotherm’s technology. My responsibilities included exploring three key market segments: skylights for industrial warehouses, office windows, and glass facades for commercial buildings.
