Tag: Work experience and internships

Indea: My BristolGrad Internship experience

Posted on by Careers Service

My internship with the Careers Service as the BristolGrad Careers Support Intern was a great opportunity to gain loads of skills with a super-supportive team behind me.

Picture of Indea. A young woman smiling as she stroked a large ginger cat
Indea and a furry friend

Let me set the scene: I was a wide-eyed Arts graduate, leaving university to enter the world of work in 2020 – in the middle of a pandemic. After months of rejections (or just being ghosted by employers), and a job I didn’t love, I spotted the chance to apply for the BristolGrad internship.

My role consisted of supporting the delivery of the BristolGrad project. You can find out more about how the Careers Service supports graduates on our website. Because we were focusing on supporting a varied cohort, my role was also varied. (more…)

Violet: Student Leader, drag artist, and PLUS achiever!

Posted on by Careers Service

Bristol PLUS Award achiever and Outstanding PLUS Award nominee Violet Allmark achieved her 70 hours of PLUS activity through working as a freelance drag performer and taking on a student leadership role as chair of Bristol Theatre Department Society InterACT. 

Violet was a freelance performer with drag cabaret ‘The House of Savalon’ during their residency at award-winning Bristol LGBTQ+ venue Queenshilling, proud sponsors of Bristol University LGBTQ+ society. 

A photo of Violet performing in a drag show
Violet performing as Etta Boy, at The House of Savalon

‘My freelance work, as part of the House of Savalon’s three month residency at Queenshilling, gave me the opportunity to develop my artistic costume-making practice, and improve my time management and organisational skills. I spent hours preparing for my acts: sourcing, making and editing my own costumes, props and audio. 

In addition, the regular feedback sessions enhanced my personal reflection skills on my own performances as well as my communication skills through constructive feedback

A crow of people in drag on a stage cheering
The House of Savalon at the Queen Shilling

Kickstarting my drag career this year has led to such amazing performance opportunities, such as performing last week before Divina de Campo at the Creative Youth Network Station and even internationally in Woody’s Bar Toronto, where I was tipped during my performance by a queen recently announced to be on Season 3 of Canada Drag Race and I was even in the presence of the show’s ‘version’ of Ru Paul: Brook Lynn Hytes.’

Violet also developed new skills and experience by chairing the committee of InterAct, the theatre department’s society. 

(more…)

My SME Internship: Tom, Educational Action Challenging Homophobia (EACH)

Posted on by Careers Service

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.  

EACH work with us through our SME Internship Scheme to host interns to support their charity work, in roles such as Administration & Fundraising Officer, Helpline & Creative Development Assistant, and Research & Administration Officer.   

Since 2013, EACH has hosted 14 SME interns through the SME Internship Scheme.   

(more…)

My IKEEP Journey: Project Placement with PyTerra

Posted on by Careers Service

Hi, I’m Emily! I am a third-year law student and I recently completed a project placement with PyTerra, after following a two-week Intrapreneurial course with IKEEP. I heard about the IKEEP training programme in the Careers Service newsletter, and it seemed like a great way to get interesting work experience. I got offered a 4-week work placement at PyTerra, which is a local ‘FinTech’ (Financial Technology) start-up and app where investors, developers, grant givers and corporates can collaborate to make low carbon housing projects feasible. Essentially, PyTerra’s mission is to generate finance for aggregated low-carbon projects.   (more…)

My SME Internship: Regina – WeTrack

Posted on by Careers Service

A photo of Regina, smiling.I am very grateful to have been offered an internship opportunity through the SME Internship Scheme.

As an international student, I spent three months searching for a graduate job in the UK after I finished my one-year master’s programme. I found the challenges and competition higher than ever in the wake of the global pandemic. Thus, I applied for internship vacancies on the Careers Service website to enhance my employability in the local market. (more…)

James: Bartender, Podcaster, Bristol PLUS Award Achiever!

Posted on by Careers Service

Completing the Bristol PLUS Award is a great way to reflect on the experiences you have whilst you’re a student and get confident in your career planning. 

A photo of James
James Mwendwa, 2nd Year Geology MSci

James Mwendwa, second year Geology student, achieved his PLUS Award this year in recognition of a range of experiences gained during his first and second years, in term time and during the holidays.

‘The steps to achieve my PLUS Award opened up new opportunities and skills in employability and interview techniques.’ 

(more…)

My SME Internship: Yanan – Bristol Braille Technology

Posted on by Careers Service

A photo of YananHi, my name is Yanan. 

It was my great honour to undertake a two-month internship at Bristol Braille Technology (BBT) under the SME Internship Scheme. My position at BBT was Braille and Employment Researcher Intern. My main duty was to conduct research on how braille promotes employment and improves the lives of the visually impaired. My work was mostly done remotely. 

Working for BBT, I learned workplace etiquette and gained lots of new skills, including working to a high standard. As a non-native English speaker, my English has improved tremendously during this internship. My colleagues and supervisors are all native English speakers, and, frankly, it was a little difficult for me to keep up with them when I first started my internship. I quickly got over this problem with a lot of English practice.

Bristol Braille Technology logo.
Bristol Braille Technology logo.

At the same time, the research skills I learned at university came in handy and my time management skills have also been enhanced. This valuable experience has laid a solid foundation for my future career. 

All in all, as a visually impaired person, I have benefited a lot from this internship, it really boosts my CV and I have become more confident. At work, I didn’t feel any discrimination and I wasn’t treated differently from anyone else. I sincerely hope that more of my peers will benefit from this scheme in the future.  (more…)

My SME Internship: Alex – Senmag Robotics

Posted on by Careers Service

Greetings from a second-year Electrical and Electronic Engineering student. My name is Alex and I completed a month-long SME internship for the company Senmag Robotics. A photo of Alex smiling.

I was tasked with coding demos using the Unity game engine. The demos showcase the functionality and potential applications of the device that the company is developing.

In short, this device is meant to give you three-dimensional precise control and haptic feedback. This allows you to feel virtual objects and effects as if they are physically present.

I carried out my internship remotely, but I did receive a VR headset and one of their devices to play with (and by play, I of course mean responsibly troubleshoot newly written scripts and test added features!). (more…)

Aamir: Barista, Volunteer, Bristol PLUS Achiever!

Posted on by Careers Service

In 2021-22, 1111 students achieved the challenge of completing their Bristol PLUS Award, giving their CVs a boost and reflecting on the value of their extra-curricular experiences.  

We caught up with Aamir Mehmood, 2nd Year Biology BSc, to find out how he built up his 70 hours experience and achieved his PLUS Award.

A photo of Aamir, smiling
Aamir Mehmood, Bristol PLUS Award Achiever 2021-22

‘I have found out I am a lot more resourceful and resilient than I thought. I’m proud to have discovered this through my PLUS award experience’ 

Aamir achieved his 70 hours through working a part time job as a barista, and volunteering at Brandon Hill as a gardening volunteer.

‘I wanted to volunteer locally and find something where I could really make some difference, helping other members of my community keeping Brandon Hill pristine and looking its best was the most fun opportunity I found.’ (more…)