DYW Forth Valley Intern Develops Her Skills to Support School Coordinators

As part of our commitment to the Young Person's Guarantee, we offered a project based internship to a young person and recruited Effie Nash to work on a project exploring local labour market intelligence (LMI), in support of our School Coordinators.

The brief was to research and develop understanding of the regional landscape of Forth Valley using relevant sources of LMI to inform and assist School Coordinators with employer engagement on behalf of their schools. As part of the project Effie was asked to present to a selection of School Coordinator partners on her findings, proposing sectors and employers they might like to approach to develop activities and establish partnerships. Her project also gave her hands-on experience of managing a CRM system and providing key information for social media purposes.

We asked Effie to tell us why she was drawn to this particular internship and how she has found the project? 

Effie & Rachael work virtually on the Labour Market Intelligence project

How does this internship fit with your studies, what do you study and how did you decide that this was something you wanted to do? 
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I study Politics at The University of Stirling. The internship fits in perfectly with my studies due to the flexibility and opportunity to get hands-on experience in research. I decided this was something I wanted to do as it gave me the chance to use real world data sets, research and present findings to a credible audience and see what it’s like to work in a professional environment which I had not yet done during my time at University. 
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How has this internship helped your skills development and what is next for you?  ​

​My next steps are a Masters in Human Rights Law and this internship has helped me develop my soft skills alongside my research and presenting skills. Something I struggled with at Uni was presenting due to lack of confidence, and this internship has really given me the opportunity to expand those skills and understand the key to presenting data and keeping research organised.  
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What was the project you were given and what does a normal day/week consist of for you?  
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I was given the task of identifying key industries across Forth Valley and finding five potential matches for schools across this area where they may have gaps in their engagement. Typically, I would spend one whole day a week researching, this consisted of using Skills Development Scotland datasets, the Regional Skills Assessments and local data to explore the current and future employment opportunities in Forth Valley and then using another day in the week to meet with my mentor, Rachael Dorman to discuss the research, go over the findings, position and qualify it in relation to context. This routine meant that I could fit it around my studies and part-time job in Financial Services.
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What do you enjoy most about the role? 
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The most enjoyable part of the internship is learning about the bridge between education and employment. Having gone to uni and faced the struggles of a young person finding their feet and looking for a job, it was very rewarding being able to explore different opportunities schools could give their students, something I didn't realise went on in the background of education.
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Working virtually means that Effie has been able to work from her student flat in Stirling, remotely from home in Newcastle or on campus at University.

What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them? 
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The biggest challenge has definitely been juggling the internship, part-time job and university. Although the internship was most flexible of them all, it was hard to juggle this with my dissertation. However, my mentor made sure that I had time to complete any required studies and supported me to manage my time efficiently to overcome this by pre-booking meetings and keeping my schedule consistent.
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Effie handed in her dissertation during her internship.

What has been your greatest achievement to date/ what are you most proud of? 
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I am most proud of the presentation I delivered to three of the School Coordinators across Forth Valley. This was because it gave me the opportunity to show my work and hopefully influence new engagements across schools. Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling are three very different Local Authorities so I had to adapt my approach but every School Coordinator I collaborated with was encouraging and supportive and made me feel like my project was of value to them. On a personal note, my greatest achievement is completing my degree whilst navigating all of this.  
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What has been something surprising about this internship?  
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The most surprising part of this internship is the 1-2-1 mentoring I received. This was because before joining DYW Forth Valley I didn't really know what to expect and presumed I might be put within a bigger group. The small team dynamic and the 1-2-1 has really given me the best opportunity to learn and build good relationships with the team. 
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What advice would you give to others in terms of selecting a suitable career or embarking on an internship?
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I would say in terms of selecting a suitable career, speak to the Careers, Advice and Guidance team at you school, college or uni. I did this before applying for the internship and it really opened my eyes to the opportunities out there. This meant that exploring my CV and approaching how to improve it and write a cover letter was more meaningful to the process. I would also take up any opportunities that arise, whether they are directly associated with your dream career or not, as this will give you the chance to explore options and gain relevant personable skills along with professional skills.  

"Effie has been an incredible find for DYW Forth Valley. She showed potential from the start but the development in her skills, confidence and professionalism, in the short time she has been with us has been impressive. She's very much part of the Team and we're delighted to be keeping her on for another term to support us on another project whilst she embarks on her Master's Degree."

Rachael Dorman, DYW Programme Coordinator

If you would like to offer a Stirling student or graduate a paid internship you can email Stirling University HERE. 

For support with unpaid placements and consultancy projects as part of accredited courses or to submit a project click HERE.

For more general info on how Stirling University can help employers click HERE.