The Careers Service's Global Ambassador Programme, where students intern in Europe with UofG alumni, didn’t go ahead as planned this summer, however a few of them were able to complete the internship remotely.

GAP Feedback
Robbert Sinclair, Intern at Colt Technology, Frankfurk

I was delighted to hear that I was able to take part in this internship at Colt online and that Alex was so kind to host us despite the ongoing COVID 19 crisis. It was very insightful to speak to her colleagues both in Frankfurt and worldwide. We talked about their career paths and what their advice is for people our age. I felt that every day of the internship I was learning something new that would help me in getting a job and succeed in corporate life. Alex gave us a very packed agenda and despite missing out on seeing the office, I feel that we managed to get a thorough understanding of what kind of company Colt is. It also showed me that you can do almost anything with any degree and that you should never limit yourself. I would highly recommend applying for the Global Ambassador Program.

 

Marianna Marcelline, Intern at Colt Technology, Frankfurt

Thanks to Glasgow University’s Global Ambassador Programme, I have spent these past two weeks virtually interning with Colt Technology Services.

I have learned so much. From speaking to colleagues in roles ranging from IT, Node engineering and Sales, I have gained real experience of what it is like to work for a telecommunications company.

The connections I have made with all the employees has been invaluable and I am grateful for everyone that helped to make this internship a success – especially given that it took place during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thank you again Sheena, for all the effort you have put into this internship. It has been truly excellent.

 

Lewis O’Neill, Intern at Colt Technology, Frankfurt

Thanks to Alex from Colt & the Internship Hub @UofG for hosting such a worthwhile virtual internship. I have learned a lot about the company and the telecoms industry and I feel a lot more confident in my employability. It was a really productive way to spend a fortnight and its given me a burst of inspiration to plan my next steps through uni and beyond.

 

Zoe Yeung, Intern at EUK Consulting, Brussels

Having the opportunity to intern at EUK Consulting was a great chance for me to gain experience and knowledge of the working environment. During my internship I carried out a wide variety of tasks, such as gathering information on EU legislations and following EU plenaries and debates on current issues and conducting a report of it. As a result, I have developed my data collection and report writing skills which can be transferred to future roles. Overall, this was a valuable experience as I was able to learn and gain good insight of the industry. Moreover, I had the opportunity to work and learn from an amazing team who are professionals in the field.

 

Rose Johnston, Intern, EUK Consulting, Brussels

I participated in a two-week virtual internship with EUK Consulting, a political consultancy firm based in Brussels. I carried out tasks such as participating in team meetings, online research, compiling and formatting information into Excel, and observing and reporting on sessions within the European Parliament. During the virtual internship I gained practical experience and valuable insight into an industry I am interested in working within. Through working with the welcoming and friendly team at EUK Consulting, I was able to network and make valuable connections which I can use moving forward in my future career. I had opportunities to put the skills and experience I have gained at university to use. Moreover, the guidance and feedback that I was provided with helped me further develop and gain confidence in my professional skill set. I am glad to have participated in the Global Ambassador Programme and feel I have gained a lot through this internship.

 

Christopher McLaughlin, Intern, Scotland Europa, Brussels

The GAP is a great opportunity to get work experience early on in the degree and I would recommend it to anyone thinking about applying, whether it is virtual or in-person. It will help you to grow your confidence and will look great on a CV. It can open doors such as allowing a great networking opportunity, giving you contacts that might come in useful after graduation.

 

Host Feedback
Tom Murray, Host, EUK Consulting, Brussels

I was delighted to be able to participate in the virtual internship programme. Rose and Zoe, the students who participated were both really enthusiastic and managed to fit in with the rest of the team really well and far better than I would have imagined. Both students made a real contribution to our work over the two weeks and completed a number of research tasks without complaint, on time and to a high standard. My only regret is that we weren’t able to host the two of them at our offices, but as a replacement for a physical internship, I think a virtual internship can and does work provided both parties are sufficiently motivated ahead of time and make sure that they are communicating regularly during the internship period. I would be happy to have either or both students back any time and hope they stay in touch with me and the rest of the team.

 

Alexandra Damianlieva, Host, Colt Technology, Frankfurt

In late October 2019 the University approached me as an alumni to take part in the Global Ambassador Programme. I was very excited to help fellow University of Glasgow students get a bit of an idea of how the professional world works. However, no one expected Covid-19 to hit Europe as hard as it did. At the beginning of March the students had been selected, however, the first signs that Covid-19 was going to make this project difficult started mid-March when countries started closing their borders and one by one, states locked down.

At the beginning of May, the Internship Hub Manager approached me yet again and we discussed exploring the possibility of a virtual internship. I put myself in the shoes of the students who went through the whole application process, were chosen, only to then be told no. It reminded me of my own application experience. I didn’t want them to feel like they did it all for nothing considering they were chosen but then still weren’t able to take the opportunity. So for a month I worked hard trying to think of an agenda, trying to come up with ways of how I could still show the students the professional world.

My thinking behind the agenda was ‘what would they have seen in the office that they could still see online?’. Since I have no external customers I gave them a session on meetings and what they can expect there. As I have very good relations with my colleagues in the office  I decided to let them get to know at least one colleague every day. What I also really enjoy at Colt is the mentoring programme that is put in place. As soon as you start you get allocated a buddy and can find a mentor. It is really nice to be able to talk to someone senior to oneself and ask for their input/advice so I wanted to provide that to the students considering not long ago I was one of them.

The agenda was therefore full of sessions with me talking about crucial transferable skills such as verbal and nonverbal communication, sessions about Linkedin and its importance in the professional world, as well as meetings with colleagues from all over the world (ranging from the UK to Japan) who talked about their professional life. The students were welcome to ask questions and their interest was evident as the sessions extended beyond the alloted time.

All in all, I am grateful to the university for considering me as a host for this internship. I had a lot of fun with the students, it enriched me and my skillset, and it was a welcome nostalgic two weeks when talking to the students about the best spots to be in Glasgow. I am also very thankful to my workplace, Colt Technology Services, for enabling this successful experiment in the form of a virtual internship. Considering the sheer positive feedback from colleagues and students, I am certain that this won’t be a one-time affair. Hopefully I have laid the foundation for Colt and the University to continue to offer virtual internships.

 

First published: 27 August 2020

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