Intern Review

I took part in the smart futures programme by EY. For the first few days, we were given presentations which would help us to complete the learning logs in order to qualify for the CMI qualification. We had the chance to meet other people doing the same programme and built our networking skills. I really enjoyed doing the Dragons Den task. Then the next week, we went to do our business experience at our different firms. We got to do hands on work amongst other employers.

I have improved my communication skills through the multiple presentations which helped boost my confidence. I also developed my time management skills as we did not have much time so we had to organise our time efficiently.

I enjoyed the programme to a great extent as I got to work in a real professional environment and got to attend meetings. The work was very interactive and we were given relatively a lot of freedom. Our hosts and other employers were very welcoming and helpful and I learnt a lot through them.

I felt very valued especially by the end of the programme as they cared about our opinions and took our feedback seriously. We were also given helpful resources such as laptops which helped a lot.

Overall the programme is quite well structured however I felt that the first few days were quite rushed especially when were filling out our learning logs.

We received a lot of support from the people who ran the programme and our business experience hosts. They were always up for questions and did whatever they could to help.

I received a lot of support from them especially. Not only did they help in terms of the work but they also sorted out lunch and trips for us too.

the programme pays 6.80 an hour which is efficient for students however, for most of us, we had to travel a lot everyday which is quite costly and on some days, I had to pay for lunch too.

Yes there are quite a few opportunities like volunteering in our local communities, for example, primary schools. There's also a lot that my college offers also.

Yes

You get a CMI qualification which makes you look more appealing to employers and you get real work experience which is valuable to put on your CV. You also get a real taste of what work is like in different sectors and meet experienced people which can develop your networking skills and give you useful advice in terms of careers and further education.

I would say that the application can be very long and daunting but at the end it's totally worth it. Even though you may get put in a sector that you're not interested in, you get to expand your knowledge and try out something new which can change your mind. You really have to be persistent and prepared to come out of your comfort zone.