At Velocitii we are passionate about people, supporting them and enabling them to be at their best - this is the very first of our company values. We also believe that careers in digital and technology are both rewarding and contribute massively to society.
However we are aware that a lot of young people may not have access to, or even know about, opportunities in this sector. We often reflect on what we can do to help, both now and in the future.
Earlier this summer we demonstrated our commitment and intentions in this space by hosting a school student, Sophie, for a week of work experience with us. It is our sincere hope that this is just the start of an ongoing programme of early career interventions to help young people from diverse backgrounds gain valuable insight and experience. Our vision is to give them inspiration and a step-up, ultimately setting them on the journey to amazing future careers.
Sophie has written a blog for us about her time with the Velocitii family, so please read on.
- Clare Blain, Director of Velocitii People
We put people at the heart of everything we do.
Sophie's blog
Hello, blog readers.
First, a bit about me: my name is Sophie Thompson, I am 16 years old and I live in South Yorkshire. I am currently awaiting my GCSE results on the 20th of August and will continue my studies at college in September.
My internship experience
I recently travelled to London to complete a week long summer internship with the Velocitii Digital team. This opportunity gave me a great insight into the convergence of government and different digital mediums, and helped me to understand the various methods which different members of the Velocitii team use to fulfil their roles on a daily basis.
One task that I completed during my internship was to conduct some user research in the form of a survey about a possible new project. I created a set of questions which were suitable for people of a similar age to me and asked as many people as I could - managing to exceed my target of 10 participants to 29! I then created a PowerPoint deck showing the results of the survey and presented them to the team.
Although this experience was quite daunting at first, I think it was a great learning experience for me, helping me to become more self-confident.
I also completed various other exciting tasks such as researching branded merchandise for the Velocitii Digital company, helping to maintain and develop the VelociDex app, and even creating my own Linkedin profile which I believe will be very useful in my future career.
One of the main parts of my internship was shadowing Clare Blain who is the director of people at Velocitii Digital. This meant I was able to sit in on senior management meetings and many 1:1 conference calls, where I could listen in on the strategies and problem solving techniques used in aspects such as the social media management, which I found particularly interesting.
What have I learned?
This experience has really helped me to improve my communication skills and self motivation, as I got a taste for what it is like to work in the real world.
The whole Velocitii Digital team was so lovely and made me feel comfortable and welcome, which I think encouraged me to produce my best work.
During this internship, I was introduced to new career opportunities and job roles that I didn’t even know existed, such as a User Researcher or a Business Analyst. This has really opened my eyes to the endless paths that I could take in the future, which I didn’t realise could be possible before!
One of the main pieces of advice I will take away from this work experience is to not be scared to try new things that interest me, as each person from the team had an extremely interesting and varied past, which inspires me to not limit myself to one career path in the future.