Our final intern to introduce herself and share her message to employers is Blessing…

Hi, my name is Blessing, I am a second-year Criminology and Sociology student at Loughborough University. 

My ambition for the future is to be working in a company or charity that promotes change for young people and which also impacts the way young people see the world of work. My other ambition that I would love to achieve is to become a mentor in a mentoring scheme for young people, because being the first generation to go to university, it can be a daunting journey to begin, so I would love to support young people like me and encourage them.

One reason why I chose Access Generation is that Chris and Jemma were welcoming during the interview, I felt that I could be me naturally without any pressure and I enjoyed the interview. Choosing Access Generation was easy for me because of the smooth interview process, and they were willing to offer feedback at the end which was valuable. Secondly, I chose Access Generation because as a social enterprise their passion is to help young people. They want young people to gain opportunities and reach their full potential and they do this by working with companies and advising them on how best to appeal to young people. I could see their passion to help young people in the world of work and that was something I am interested in.

I am excited to participate in research and aiding Access Generation on their latest Employment Accessibility Report and the impact of Brexit and COVID. Research is an element of my degree, so I am excited to be using techniques learned in my first year and applying it to real-life work. I am also looking forward to working on campaigns for Access Generation, as it is something that I believe will bring more awareness to young people and companies. I am also looking forward to increasing my confidence in interviewing employers and improving my interview techniques. 

During this internship I hope to develop my creative skills such as being able to use creative websites such as Canva and also develop my digital fluency. Furthermore, in this internship, I hope to gain transferrable skills which will help me in the world of work.

My message to employers is that they should recruit on character as psychometric tests and other assessments do not represent young people. Young people are more than the assessment results. Give young people the opportunity to show you who they truly are.

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Did you know…?

Universities typically have an employability team who work to match students with employment opportunities including internships. An internship is often a short paid work experience and a chance for the student and employer to ‘try before they buy’. Internships are often part or fully funded.

Afra has joined us via Loughborough University’s Talent Match Programme which is part-funded by Santander. For more information, visit their website https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/careers/employers/sme/lborotalentmatch/