Are you interested to learn more about internships at Pennine and what the experience is like? Our latest intern, Charlie, reveals all about his experience below:
When my line manager, Dan, asked me to write a blog summarising my internship at Pennine, I didn’t quite know where to begin – so thought I’d start with some information about me personally.
My name is Charlie, and as mentioned above, I am currently nearing the end of my internship at Pennine Healthcare. I am a 20-year-old student who took up this role in the summer between my second and final year at university. I am studying at the University of Liverpool in Business Management, which encompasses everything business has to offer, such as Marketing, Operations, Human Resources, and Finance. I am an energetic and outgoing individual with a passion for football, which I was able to express at Pennine through a charity football tournament which me and my new colleagues took part in.
I wanted to experience an internship role as I am someone who has had almost 6 years working in the hospitality sector and felt that my time was being wasted, my skillset underutilised as a business student, and I wanted to seek out some invaluable work experience doing what I actually enjoyed (Business & Marketing). Pennine offered me all of this and more, allowing me to apply the theory from university to real-world business and learn so much along the way.
At Pennine the majority of my time has been spent developing and building a competitive analysis report for the company, so through consistent feedback from my line manager and relevant input and collaboration with every department, it is complete and is something I can be very proud of and a tool the business will use on a daily basis for the foreseeable future. Moreover, I have completed additional tasks such as developing my own skillset through relevant qualifications the business funded, proofing marketing literature, training, and usage of Microsoft Dynamics from a sales pipeline perspective and extensive data research tasks.
In completing these tasks, I have grown extensively and gained valuable lifelong skills such as improved confidence in the workplace, networking skills, analytical skills, and literature skills from a marketing perspective. Through being an Employee-Owned Trust Pennine successfully employs a great work life balance, meaning employees are determined and motivated in their work and as such are rewarded justly. For example, in only my 3rd week there was a Companywide Celebration which was organised for the company’s 60th birthday in which we all got together and celebrated everyone’s recent success.
The aspects of working here that I appreciate the most are how Pennine truly lives and breathes its values, how honesty is pushed through numerous business initiatives, and how everyone is responsible for their great work. Furthermore, because I was given the opportunity to operate independently from my Line Manager, I am free to take any direction I choose with my specific projects and capitalise on the business sectors that interest me the most or that I believe will benefit my project the best. The company is fully agile through their working from home scheme so I can always call anyone within the company from home, which helps with the work-life balance even further, as I live outside of Derby and work from home a few days of the week.
To future apprentices, interns, or placement students who are seeking to be a part of a wholesome yet competitive work atmosphere, I would without a doubt suggest this experience. The ideal candidate is someone who is eager to learn, works hard, and is also willing to interact with others in their various areas and have fun. Future candidates should not be hesitant to ask questions. If there is a course you are interested in taking or a business sector you would want to learn more about, ASK.
Thank you to Pennine once again for this opportunity, my line manager Dan and the rest of the colleagues I have met along the way through this experience. This has been a great introduction to working life which I know will positively influence my final year at university.
Keep an eye on our careers page for any future opportunities.
