By Abigail Cook, MSc Management
A significant aspect of my University experience this year was my involvement in the Postgraduate Advantage Scheme. This is available to all taught postgraduate students within the Faculty of Social Sciences and aims to provide work experience with organisations that may otherwise be unable to take on an intern. Each of these internships are 100 hours long, and you can receive a bursary to cover expenses.
I undertook my internship from January to March 2019 with Breast Cancer Care, the only specialist UK-wide charity which provides care, support and
information to anyone affected by breast cancer. As a member of the Community Fundraising Team, I was involved with several different projects and tasks during my internship, including bucket collections and leaflet distributions in addition to office-based administrative responsibilities. However, my main role was to support the planning and delivery of the Pedal the Pennines fundraising campaign, an annual office-based cycle challenge with companies from across the UK competing against each other to cycle a virtual 350km route.
The event took place in March and was a huge success, raising almost £30,000 for Breast Cancer Care. Before and during the event, I was able to visit several different companies within Sheffield and meet all of their participating teams. The two-day event was really fun and exciting for everyone involved, and it was great to see all the hard work that we’d put in over the previous few months paying off!
The internship was an incredibly valuable and unique experience that provided me with the opportunity to develop my personal and professional skills outside of my degree. I enjoyed being involved with the local community external to the University and knowing that I was doing something worthwhile in addition to studying for my degree. I also made many long-lasting friendships within the fundraising team and enjoyed learning about the important work that the charity does.
I would highly recommend applying for the Postgraduate Advantage Scheme as it provides unique opportunities to gain valuable work experience, establish links with external organisations and enhance your CV. It’s also a great way to meet new people and explore Sheffield beyond the University.