How the Internship Programme Helped Isabella Find Her Career

We are always excited to discover inspiring stories involving young individuals!

In this blog, Isabella, a graduate of the Jack Petchey Internship Programme, shares her experience at Newham Music and how it helped her progress into her new role at Young Enterprise.

My name is Isabella and I am a Programme Coordinator for Young Enterprise following my internship with Newham Music as Education Assistant Producer.

Looking back, how did the Internship Programme shape your career journey and open doors for you?

Taking part in the Jack Petchey Internship Programme not only gave me the opportunity to step into a role in producing and education that was extremely hard to break into at entry level, it also gave me insight into careers that I did not know existed. Through the programme, I was able to explore project and event management in a safe environment that showed me how I can make an impact on young people in a role outside of a school setting.

What key skills or experiences from the programme have had the greatest impact on where you are now?

Learning how to bring events to life and manage projects gave me tangible skills and experiences that I have brought into my current role. At Newham Music, I really enjoyed seeing the moments where events would come together and understanding how all the different parts of the planning process came into play on the day. Also, seeing how a charity functions has been essential in understanding what is expected in job roles and how I can best support my team.

How did the support from the Internship Programme help you transition into full-time employment?

The training bursary was a massive support with securing my current role. Using the bursary, I took courses in a range of topics (risk management, evaluation, trauma awareness to name a few) that supported me in my internship role but that would also stand out to future employers in the field I wanted to progress in. I was able to list the six training courses that I completed on my CV and talk about them in interview. I know that my current line manager felt this training boosted my application!

During your internship with Newham Music, which project or piece of work are you most proud of from your time there, and why?

I oversaw the Youth Ambassador programme for my time at Newham Music, this included onboarding participants, organising monthly workshops and meetings, and supporting their continued engagement and development. I am proud of how much I learned about youth voice through this project and the ways in which I incorporated the voices and ideas of the young people into my work whilst helping them feel recognised for their impact. This element of codesign, and facilitating the ideas of young people to create something they can see has impact, is a skill I will take forward in my career.

Can you tell us about your role as Programme Coordinator at Young Enterprise and what your day-to-day work involves?

I support Young Enterprise’s Centres of Excellence programme which supports schools to embed strong financial education into the curriculum. Day to day I am fostering relationships with schools and teachers, helping to organise events for young people and their educators, communicating with a range of stakeholders, and designing marketing materials to spread the word about the programme across social media. I recently got to be part of an exciting event at the Houses of Parliament for YE’s My Money Week initiative!

How does your work now support young people, and what impact do you hope to achieve with Young Enterprise?

Through my work I support young people by building relationships with their schools and supporting the running of a programme that empowers their educators to bring financial education to life. This means young people learn from an early age how to manage money, deal with financial decisions, and navigate the changing financial landscape independently. I have loved visiting and hearing from students about their experiences of the programme and seeing their enthusiasm for all they have learned, as well as seeing initiatives that schools have introduced such as parent cafes and school banks. I hope to continue this impact and bring more schools and educators together to inspire more hands-on learning opportunities for young people that can have lasting results.

In what ways has your internship experience helped you succeed in this role?

My internship role was my first experience of a full-time job in an office environment so it gave me essential skills in working professionally and navigating working life. In addition, the support I received from my line manager and mentor meant that I felt confident to step outside of my comfort zone and try new things taking on responsibilities such as Event Manager, this meant that when walking into interviews and a new role I felt sure of myself and my abilities.

What advice would you give to someone considering applying for the Jack Petchey Internship Programme?

Go for it! And be ready to throw yourself into every aspect of the programme, from the workshops to the mentoring and more. Also, if at any times parts of your role or experience feel daunting, you can reach out to the community of interns around you who are all going through it with you!

What would you say to organisations about the value of hosting a Jack Petchey Intern?

I have seen the benefit of the internship programme go both ways: it can open doors for an individual trying to get into the youth work industry, whilst the organisation also gets to experience the unique energy and ideas each intern can bring to their role.