Sian Roper is a BA (Hons) Business Management student undertaking a 10 week internship at Newport City Council, based at the Civic Centre. 

Undertaking an internship has given me the opportunity to see how a Human Resources (HR) department operates and the chance to explore its different functions.

One of the main projects I worked on was gathering data for Newport schools such as absence figures, reasons for absence and teachers to students’ ratio.  The data was compared against similar sized schools and put into a Business Partner Report, presented at a Business Partner Meeting. I attended one of these meetings to gain a further understanding of the report. Data collated is used by the Head Teacher to identify how many teachers to supply teachers there are at their school, in comparison to other similar sized schools. The data can be useful when efficiencies need to be made.

I’ve also been involved in employee projects such as the booking process and follow up activity of staff training sessions, held at the Civic Centre. I updated the procedures and crafted a questionnaire which will be implemented to capture feedback. I undertook some of the training courses available to gain an insight into the experience attendees have. This proved valuable when designing the questionnaire. Other tasks include, reviewing the recruitment and selection process, shortlisting candidates and participating on interview panels.

Working for Newport City Council, I’ve grown as an individual. I’ve improved my communication skills and the ability to interact with others. This has helped build my confidence in the workplace. I’ve learned how to voice an opinion and I’ve developed the soft skills needed for working in an office environment.

Before undertaking the 10 week internship, I was unsure of whether to pursue a career in HR or marketing. Working for the Council has confirmed my decision to work in HR. I will be selecting HR modules in readiness for my final year, to tailor my degree to this area of business.

Newport City Council has invested a lot of time in ensuring I had the best possible experience on placement. I can’t thank them enough for their efforts and support. I’ve learnt so much and have seen the relevance of what I’ve been taught, to the HR environment. It’s been a pleasure working with so many diverse people and learning from everyone’s different styles of working.

My advice to anyone going on placement is to keep an open mind about the role you undertake and to believe in yourself. You’ll be surprised by what you can do, when you apply theory you’ve learnt. Take every opportunity to ask questions - you’ll improve your skillset by doing so.