As a second-year business management in University of Plymouth. I am in the pursuit of professional goals and ways to enhance my skills, especially being that I would soon graduate and be applying for graduate roles or undertaking a placement year. I was advised by my university career hub to undertake a virtual internship and that’s how I stumbled upon the opportunity to become a virtual intern as an Event Marketing Assistant with Charles Causley Trust. This experience would become one of my most cherished achievements since stepping into university.

I am very motivated by my constant improvement, so I eagerly applied for the position after reading the job role which promised a range of projects which will in turn develop my skills. I remember before the interview process, I was so nervous, but as soon as Kate started the interview it felt more like a conversation between two friends, it was such a comforting dialogue and within five days, I found myself welcomed into the Charles Causley Trust Family.

Admittedly, my knowledge of poetry was limited. However, one of the first task of my internship was to do intensive research into Charles Causley legacy, about his town Launceston and about how his poems were not only mainly inspired by his town but also how much they meant to the people from Launceston. I learnt a lot about the trust’s values, and its profound impact on literacy and young poets. With only one week of starting my work as an intern, the values the trusts have, had also been embedded in its employees and I had become so connected with Charles Causley. The research really helped me understand my role better and what was expected of me.

I was given assignments every week as an intern, and my tasks varied from conducting research to showing my writing and artistic abilities.  As an intern, I was tasked with researching our closest competitors and using that information to develop an evaluation of how the trust should duplicate some of their strategies to increase Presence, increase revenue, fortify its reputation, and open potential partnerships. With this task, I discovered that I was learning more about different Devon poets and groups. Additionally, I was asked to do research and develop marketing concepts that the trust might utilise in their funding bid. Another assignment which I found a bit challenging was I was told to fill in some funding applications, this means I had done a lot of research into the organisations that were given the funding, and answer the questions accordingly, since this was my first time, I had a lot of help and feedback from Nicola. One of my favourite tasks, was crafting engaging social media content for Christmas and New Year. Additionally, I was also told to create Christmas posters which they wanted to post in their in-person store in Launceston. This assignment really allowed me to play around with canvas and really showcase that creative and artistic side of me. The diversity of the assignment not only broadened my skill set but also highlighted the nature of event marketing management.

The real beauty of working with Charles Causley Trust is in the seamless communication and incredible team. Collaborating with Emily, a fellow intern and Nicola, who guided me through the funding bids, I found supportive environment that encouraged learning and growth. There was regular feedback session which were instrumental in refining my skills and pushing me to continually improve. The Virtual internship was really a test in adapting to online communication using emails and developing resilience in managing multiple responsibilities alongside my studies. This experience has significantly enhanced my communication skills, teamwork skills, research skills and practical marketing skills which I would further use in a professional setting and career.

By Obiageli Melie.