Name of Student: Emily
Pathway Programme: Pathways to Charity and Development (2024 cohort)
Internship Role: Charity Administrator
Summary of Organisation: Goodwill In Action To Prevent Suicide aim to provide a safe, ecological, sustainable, accessible respite centre within a rural environment to support persons with thoughts of suicide or who are affected by suicide, through the provision of therapeutic non-medical, short term accommodation and befriending services.
Please briefly outline the project/tasks/responsibilities you worked on during your Professional Pathways internship:
‘During my Professional Pathways internship at Goodwill in Action To Prevent Suicide, I worked on several key projects and tasks:
- Project Brief Analysis and Refinement: Evaluated and clarified the scope of the charity’s relaunch project to ensure alignment with strategic goals.
- Policy and Document Updates: Assisted in updating organisational policies and creating structured documents for future reference.
- CRM System Evaluation: Reviewed and improved the charity’s customer relationship management (CRM) system for better data organisation and efficiency.
- Content Development: Created visual resources for the website, business plan, and social media to enhance communication and outreach.
- Resource Organisation: Reorganised digital assets on GDrive for streamlined access and use by the team.
- Volunteering Research: Conducted research on volunteer engagement strategies to support the charity’s initiatives.
These tasks contributed to the overall relaunch of the charity, improving its operational efficiency and outreach efforts.’
Given the Professional Pathways internship is 35 hours in total, what advice would you give to other students to ensure they gain as much as possible from the experience?
‘To make the most of your 35-hour Professional Pathways internship, it’s important to stay focused and actively engaged. Here are my top tips:
1. Set Clear Goals from the Start: From day one, clarify your responsibilities and the targets to reach by the end of the internship. This helps you focus your efforts and track your progress, ensuring that every task contributes to your overall goals.
2. Treat the Experience as Mutually Beneficial: Remember, the internship should benefit both you and your employer. Think about the skills you want to develop or the areas you’d like to contribute to. By discussing these with your employer, you can build on your strengths while exploring new areas of growth.
3. Embrace Variety: You may find yourself juggling a range of responsibilities, each requiring different skills. Being flexible and open to this variety allows you to develop abilities you might not have anticipated, broadening your skill set.
4. Take Initiative: If you spot opportunities to go beyond your assigned tasks—whether it’s improving processes or offering fresh ideas — don’t hesitate to get involved. Showing initiative highlights your enthusiasm and can lead to further learning experiences.
5. Reflect and Seek Feedback: Throughout your internship, take time to reflect on what you’ve learned and how it aligns with your goals. Regularly asking for feedback from your supervisors will help you understand where you can improve and what you’ve done well. This shows your commitment to growth and continuous improvement.‘
What advice would you give to a student who has to complete an internship via remote or hybrid working?
‘I didn’t feel that the remote nature of my internship hindered my experience at all. To make the most of it, I focused on a few key strategies:
- Communicate Proactively: In a remote or hybrid internship, communication is crucial. Since you’re not in the office, it’s important to regularly check in with your team, provide progress updates, and ask questions when necessary. This keeps everyone aligned and ensures you stay on track.
- Create a Productive Workspace: Establish a dedicated workspace that minimises distractions and helps you stay focused. Even if you don’t have a home office, finding a consistent, comfortable spot makes a big difference to both productivity and mindset.
- Embrace Collaboration: I worked closely with another intern, and sharing responsibilities made the experience more engaging and less isolating. We collaborated remotely on tasks, easily exchanging creative ideas and producing excellent shared outcomes without needing to be in person.‘