Emily's Digital Marketing Internship with The Stationary Office -- Week 4

Week 4: 18/6/12 - 22/6/12

"I have been having difficulties with Dreamweaver Software this week that I need to access to edit the Driving Standards Agency Website. In any company when you are new, there may be a few hiccups in terms of not having a computer, no email set up, not having access to what you need to carry out your work, and in some cases, the company may not be ready for you or prepared before your arrival.

These problems can usually take a few months to resolve. However in an Internship situation where you will be there on a temporary basis, it can be very difficult.

I have been given the task to design a web banner to promote a pdf brochure for Best Practice Management. I have done some preliminary sketches of what I want the animated banner to look like. I am still really over the moon to have a manager who tracks your progress, and sets tasks to develop and hone in on your strengths."

Jack's Graphic Design Internship with Lowestoft College

"The internship at Lowestoft College is going well and I am being treated like a member of staff which is much appreciated. I was even included in playing for Lowestoft staff football team against Yarmouth and we beat them 8-4. If my time here carries on like it has been so far it will be a fantastic 3 months."

Emily's Digital Marketing Internship with The Stationary Office -- Week 3

Week 3: 11/6/12 - 15/6/12

"I have been undertaking a few different tasks this week, including researching ideas for projects and drawing storyboards. I have been using twitter more and researching who are the best people to follow for the different twitter/facebook pages. Also using twitter has encouraged me to use it to promote my own work. I have been experiencing what it’s really like to work in a publishing house, and it has given me an insight into whether I would like to work in this area in the future.

I also started working back at Anglian Chemicals this week on my day off, and it was really nice to go back and see everyone. I designed a poster for a new product that has passed its test."

Jamie's Marketing Internship with Sportsinjuryclinic.net -- Week 8 Update

"I'm currently on week 8 of my internship with 4 weeks to go.

My boss has recently put me on a training course in London, which developed my understanding a great deal. The course was based around 'Search Engine Optimisation' or SEO - which is the process by which you make a website more search engine friendly, so that you are able to rank higher in the search results. It's in a company’s best interests to ensure that this aspect of marketing is handled in an objective and strategic way because it has important implications for turnover.

Previously this was an aspect that I never considered or had any prior knowledge of. However what I have learnt so far has been extremely useful, I feel much more confident in my internship as I’m able to make my own decisions in some respects. My boss is very knowledgeable about 'SEO' so if I’m unsure of something, he is always on hand to give me assistance. There is a great deal of support at my internship and everybody is very friendly too.

What I have learnt so far has been invaluable, the skills and knowledge I have picked up would be applicable to many kinds of businesses, and I cannot imagine having not taking this opportunity.

Most importantly, I thoroughly enjoy my time at my intern role and am looking forward to what my final month with bring."

Emily's Digital Marketing Internship with The Stationary Office -- Week 2

Week 2: 4/6/12 - 8/6/12

"I have been learning some Illustrator tips and learning a bit more about using Dreamweaver. My manager and I have been planning what I will be working on next week and discussing how I have been doing. I have been working on Jubilee and Glossary Tweets and looking at who TSO can follow in a business sense. I have been shown how to schedule the tweets using Hootsuite, which I had never heard of before. It is such a refreshing experience when I am unsure about something; there is somebody here to teach me.

I have also been offered a temporary contract with Anglian Chemicals starting next week part time whilst I am working at The Stationary Office for a few months. This is brilliant news as I was not expecting it at all and will add to my experience."

Sarah's Marketing Internship with the UEA Graduate Internship Programme -- Week 10

Week 10: 28/5/12 - 1/6/12

This week we received the final versions of the posters, the updated leaflet, and the folded card. After a final proofread, they were sent to print. It's rewarding to see everything finally come together, and the culmination of all the work we've put into them over the past few weeks.

I've also written an ezine with some internship application dos and don'ts, and posted details of our new opportunities. There are lots this week -- three with Aviva, a really interesting marketing internship with Simon Long Removals, and a Graphic Design opportunity with Thurton. While continuing activities to promote our current opportunities, I created a poster for the School of Language and Communication Studies, featuring the details of an internship which might be of interest to their 2012 leavers.

I rounded off the week by drafting the advert for one of our upcoming opportunities, and that's now been sent to the company for approval.

Next week is a short week, because of the bank holidays, and then I'm into the final week of my internship. Time really does fly!

Emily's Digital Marketing Internship with The Stationary Office -- Week 1

Week 1: 28/5/12 - 1/6/12

"My first day included a warm welcome from the Marketing team with mini inductions, some of the team explaining their job roles. My Manager gave me an overview of the company and they took me out to lunch four times in the first week. My first task was to redesign some buttons for the Driving Standards Agency website. This was really exciting as I spent my second day sketching which is one of my favourite things to do.

Another design task was to design a new logo for a website that has not been created yet, ‘Safe driving for life’ and these ideas were presented to the driving standards agency and I hope they like them.

It’s a very social environment and I feel I am really valued. I have been introduced to the importance of Twitter for a Business and getting to know TSO’s clients.

I have fitted in really well here as I have been looking for a team environment to work in for a long time now. I am even lucky enough to be working in Illustrator CS5 and it has been put on my computer fairly swiftly for me to use. All work obviously gets triple checked, as it is a Government organisation, which is great and very professional. One of the best things about working here that I am being given proper training on software that I would like to use in the future. The only problem now is…….I don’t want to leave."

Sarah's Marketing Internship with the UEA Graduate Internship Programme -- Week 9

Week 9: 21/5/12 - 25/5/12


This week I've been continuing my usual activities to promote the programme. I started the week by preparing and posting a series of new blogs. The first two "revisited" blogs are now live, and should give an insight into what some of our former interns are doing now. Our latest current intern, Jamie Bardwell, also sent us the first in what will hopefully be a series of updates.

My other main project this week has been setting up a Google+ page for the programme. Thanks to the "circles" feature, this should help make it easier for us to ensure graduates hear about opportunities that are likely to be of interest to them, whether based on their degree subject, interests, or location. If we can interest enough recent graduates in signing up, this could be a useful and valuable resource for the future. if you're interested in finding out more, or joining yourself, you can find the page here: http://plus.google.com/100383369038665186069.

I've also written some text for the eziggurat that will be sent to 2012 leavers early next month, and sent a targeted email about our PR Account Executive internship opportunity, which offers a great start in a highly competitive industry.

Now that the new leaflet and posters have been finalised, we're focusing on creating a small folded card, to be given out initially at congregation. We've revised the internal text, and selected a new photograph and quotation.

As the first group of interns from the relaunched programme are beginning to finish their internships, it's a good time to think about revising the evaluation form, which asks about their experience, to ensure we get the information we need. I've been looking at those this week -- thinking of some new questions, removing those which are no longer relevant, and trying to make it more user-friendly.

All in all, a busy and interesting week!