I have just finished my first few weeks at Insights Learning and Development in Dundee, working in the Research Team as a Product Intern. I have really enjoyed my first few weeks as an intern and I have already met so many new people and I have learned so much about the company. Initially, I was nervous about starting this internship, however after meeting the research team who I am working with and the other interns, I settled in very quickly. Everyone I have met has been very friendly and happy to help me. I have finalised the scope of the project which I am working on, which will be looking into how the digital product offering of Insights can be improved to better meet customer needs and stay competitive in the market. I will be reviewing some existing company data as well as conducting general desk research on relevant topics. I will then be going onto conducting some internal interviews with key stakeholders from different teams in the business. I am hoping to build my confidence in the workplace and build on my communication and research skills.
I’m now halfway through my internship and I’m making good progress with my research. I will soon be progressing onto the next stage where I will be conducting some internal interviews. It feels good to know that the work I’m doing is important for the business and is something worthwhile. I hope that my findings will prove useful for the business in future. The four other interns and I have recently been told that there is going to be an “Interns Showcase” event in the final week where we will be presenting the work we have done to the CEO and the directors of the business, as well as other managers and key stakeholders in the business. This is a great opportunity for us and I am looking forward to it, as well as being a little nervous! This announcement is giving me a new goal, to improve my public speaking confidence and skills. Myself and the other interns have now become friends and we get along really well. We are also working together on an “Interns Project”, where we are looking at how the Insights Gift of Time initiative can be improved to increase engagement and participation. This is an initiative which gives employees a certain number of hours per year to volunteer for an organisation of their choosing. It has been very rewarding to arrange meetings and talk to new people in the business and learn something new.
My internship has now come to an end, and it has been a fantastic experience for me both personally and professionally. I have learned a huge amount and I have been pushed outside of my comfort zone. I feel that I have improved my communication and research skills. With regards to my communication skills, I feel that this is an area where I have developed both personally and professionally. The experience of presenting at the Interns Showcase event was a fantastic opportunity for me to prove my public speaking skills and built my confidence for the future. With regards to my individual project, I feel that my findings and recommendations are valid and I hope that they can be beneficial for the business. I have learned about what daily like is like in a business and what working in an office is like. I have really enjoyed my time in a product management role and it has cemented my interest in product management. I have learned about how teams collaborate on certain projects and how these are planned, organised and managed. The highlight of the overall experience for me was presenting at the interns showcase event. It was a real confidence booster and I felt a real sense of accomplishment afterwards. On reflection, I found the whole experience extremely worthwhile and rewarding. I would highly recommend the Saltire Scholars programme and more specifically Insights Learning and Development as a fantastic business for interns to work for. The experience has given me a lot of confidence for my final year of university and it has helped to grow my overall understanding of how businesses are run and some of the different business-related roles in an organisation, for example marketing and finance. I hope to integrate some of the things I have learned and topics I have focussed on in my dissertation.
