Joseph Yarde-Buller, a student from Devon has spent six weeks of the summer on a paid internship at Global City Futures.
Between an International Baccalaureate (IB) and taking up a degree in German and English at Oxford, Joe has been developing his language and business-writing skills by working on reports and research projects with our consultants in the Exeter offices.
This sustainably-focussed consultancy often has students in for work experience and longer internships, welcoming the fresh perspectives and practical support that they bring.
Fresh from interrailing for three weeks, Joe has been working three days a week with Global City Futures on live projects and upcoming tenders.
Joe is very interested in language and honing his writing skills. Joe said “I’ve been working on developing proposals and have been involved in writing up case studies for projects Global City Futures might want to feature on their website or use when bidding for new jobs. I’ve helped on various tenders, including some research for an urban tree-planting opportunity where I got to see the client’s feedback, and I collected information for a river development bid that is being considered.”
Directors at Global City Futures see the development of students’ skills as a benefit for the team. Elaine Anning, Operations Director “Having a new person in the office, who has questions about what we do and how we operate gives a healthy new perspective, and can lead to more efficient project delivery. It also allows members of the team to mentor and teach, which consolidates their own skills and learnings. Joe has been an excellent team member.”
Joe feels like the internship has given him many transferable skills, in business writing and research. “I like to think that I’m quite good at writing and proofreading, and here I’ve had the opportunity to practise. The consultants have such a quick turnaround with documents, so I’ve been helping them by proofing, sense-checking, and rephrasing reports before they’re submitted. It’s been a challenge to strike a balance between being technical and being readable for those who aren’t specialists, but I think I’m getting the hang of it. Business writing is a good skill to have.”
“I hadn’t thought much about life beyond university, but I suppose I’d been considering going into teaching or journalism. Now, though, I’ll keep an eye out for bid-writing jobs, which wasn’t an area I’d come across before.” As Joe is also studying German, translation in these disciplines is also a possibility, as is travelling and working in Europe.
Joe has found the office environment really welcoming and has enjoyed his time with Global City Futures. “Of course, we’re in a professional setting and everybody treats each other accordingly, but from the start there’s been a very friendly atmosphere and it didn’t take long for me to feel part of the team. It’s a great place to work. Plus, the feel-good factor of working on projects that have the potential to make a meaningful difference to the health of our planet and its inhabitants makes the hard work more than worthwhile.”