Student Name: Stella
Pathways Programme: Pathways to Charity & Development
Internship Role: Fundraising Intern
Internship Employer: The Pelican Project CIC
Summary of Organisation: The Pelican Project (TPP) is based in Exeter. We deliver a programme of weekly groups, projects and social activities for āmembersā and their families. TPP members are young people with a range of learning disabilities and other neurodiversity, including severe brain injury, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autistic spectrum disorder and Augmentative and Alternative Communication device (AAC) users. What they all have in common is a combination of a need and a deficit of provision following school. Most live in Exeter with about 20% from the wider Devon area.
TPP has been serving this community since 2017 and is currently able to support 50 members, their families and carers at any time. We are a small organisation with big ideas. We have a team of 6 permanent staff including marketing, administration, teaching and project management roles. We work with a wider network of 50+ freelance facilitators and partner organisations (all of our activities are delivered in partnership, opening up what we describe as an ecosystem of opportunity for our members, with relatively little resources).
Please briefly outline the project/tasks/responsibilities you worked on during your Professional Pathways internship:
“During my internship at the Pelican Project I was a fundraising intern. One of my tasks was to look through previous successful grant applications and use this information to complete a draft funding application. Also, as during the training week my group project brief was also for the Pelican Project, myself and the other intern were able to carry out another task that we suggested during our presentation. This was creating one page pen profiles for the Pelican members in order to support the partnership process. This was a great opportunity to be creative designing templates as well as prioritising which information to provide within the portraits.”
How do you think this experience will impact on your employability as you enter the job market as a recent graduate?
“Given that every year there are an increasing number of graduates and the post-grad job market can be really difficult to navigate and break through, I believe that Professional Pathways will give me a really unique advantage. The programme has provided me with a wide range of employability skills, such as group work, grant writing and innovative and creative thinking. All of these skills gained during the programme are clearly linked and backed up by group work and individual outcomes which I believe will make both applications and interviews stand out from the crowd. Furthermore, I believe in my postgraduate job search, I will have a much more guided search for jobs I want to apply to, as hearing from the professional speakers during training week really helped open my eyes to the type of job I want to apply to, and they provided unique and vital tips about how to get into the sector.”
What advice would you give to a student who has to complete an internship via remote or hybrid working?
“I completed my internship remotely and I really enjoyed it and gained a lot of knowledge, despite not being in an office environment. To make the most of remote working, I think it is really important to have clear expectations on what tasks you are expected to carry out. Another tip I would give is that, when coming up to finishing a task and you arenāt sure what task is going to be given to you next, make sure you check in with your manager in advance. This means that whilst you finish up your current task, your manager has time to get back to you with what to do next, and there is no time wasted or waiting around! Finally, I would suggest trying to create a productive work space as this can be one of the main challenges around working at home. Where possible try to set up a desk as if you were in an office, and keep this space strictly professional until the end of your internship as it will help you keep distractions at bay and feel productive.”
Why would you recommend the Professional Pathways programme to other students?
“Before completing Professional Pathways, I was feeling very uncertain about what my career might look like after university. I had an interest in the charity sector but had no experience in this area so it felt very daunting looking at jobs. Following Pathways to Charity and Development, I learnt such a valuable amount from the training week speakers that completely opened my eyes to careers in charity that I am now really interested in pursuing. This has given me confidence and an aim as I complete my final year of university this year. Furthermore, the employability skills gained through this programme are unbeatable. I would absolutely recommend this programme to any student who is feeling uncertain or has a slight interest in a career that they want to pursue further. Without a doubt, you will gain a deep insight from professionals, gain many different skills, and have a really interesting internship – all of which will stand out to employers in the future too!“