How Project Pilot Boosted My Confidence

Rebecca joined a supported internship programme called Project Pilot last year. After graduation in the summer she is now completing an internship at the Department of Education.

She recently shared some wise words of support for other young people starting on their supported internship journey.

“Hello Everyone!

My name is Rebecca, and I am a young person who happens to have been on the Project Pilot programme last year as well as this year. Overall, Project Pilot has helped me grow and develop in many ways, through my work placements, in class activities on our learning days or individual 1:1 conversations with the staff. I truly believe it has made a lasting impact on my life.

My first placement was at the Children’s ScrapStore, a charity that reduces waste going to landfill by providing art materials to schools and encouraging children’s creativity. I did admin and marketing work, which taught me I’m actually quite organised! I created systems for managing information, decided which content should go on their Instagram page, and learned to use spreadsheets effectively. One important skill I developed was knowing when to ask questions – if I wasn’t sure about something, I learned to talk to the manager rather than guess.

I also discovered new design skills on Canva. Coming from an Adobe Creative Cloud background  with grids, I was amazed to learn you don’t always need grids to create professional-looking designs. As long as everything is aligned well, that is all that really matters.

My second placement at Watershed was fascinating. My main task was interviewing artists about their work and their projects, then turning that information into engaging blog posts for the Watershed website. As someone who’s quite introverted, I was initially a bit nervous about talking to the residents because I was scared I would say the wrong thing.The overall experience turned out to be less scary than I thought, and it’s definitely boosted my confidence and communication skills.

Now,  I am starting a six-month internship with the Department for Education, which is fascinating and I’m very excited for it. I never thought I would apply for the  civil service before because it sounded too scary and grown up – something I’d never be capable of doing. But after attending meetings with them, it’s opened my eyes to thinking I could actually make a lasting difference and thrive there!

Project Pilot has also given me the confidence to try new things ! A couple of months ago, I started volunteering at a charity shop for customer service experience. I was terrified of serving customers before, but now it isn’t so bad. It has  opened my eyes to think I could possibly work in customer service one day. 

Project Pilot has truly helped me discover skills I never knew I had, and I look forward to how I further develop this year.”

Thanks to Rebecca for allowing WE Work to share her encouraging words.

If you would like to find out about Project Pilot please contact Simon Bayliss  at Bristol City Council Simon.Bayliss@bristol.gov.uk  or Robin Parry at Sixteen Cooperative  robin@sixteencoop.co.uk