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21st September 2018

A Cardiff University student’s GO Wales experience at MediWales

Amy Ludford writes about the GO Wales programme and her recent work experience with MediWales.

I am a second year Biological Sciences student at Cardiff University, hoping to have a career in science communication when I graduate. I have recently completed a week-long work taster with MediWales, facilitated by GO Wales.

Employers typically put having work experience at the top of their list when recruiting graduates, however finding relevant experience isn’t as easy for some as it is for others.

GO Wales is a European Social Fund project facilitating people under 25 who are in full-time higher education in Wales to gain experience of the workplace, when there are specific barriers that might prevent such opportunities. Such barriers may be:

  • Having a disability or health condition
  • Being from a Black and/or Minority Ethnic background
  • Having caring or childcare responsibilities
  • Being a care leaver
  • Coming from a low higher education participation region of the UK

The scheme enables all graduates to leave university on a level playing field, equipped with the skills and level of professionalism that are essential in the workplace.

As an employer, you are assisting students facing barriers to develop and refine their employability skills during their time with you. This could also be a prime opportunity to spot talent for a future career with you, or to benefit from new ideas to move your company forward.

There are three options for experience that the GO Wales Scheme offers students, including:

  • Work Shadowing: up to three days of unpaid experience, where students observe someone in their role to understand how they do their job.
  • Work Tasters: up to four weeks of unpaid experience. Students are given the opportunity to learn about work and the working environment by observing, but also undertaking, tasks.
  • Work Placements: four to six weeks of paid experience where the tasks undertaken require hands-on involvement, or the student is working on a project.

The type of experience offered to a student is at the discretion of the employer, whom a GO Wales adviser will liaise with, ensuring the placement is beneficial to both parties. The adviser will also assist with any required paperwork.

For employers, simply registering your interest with your local university will see you added to the GO Wales employer database. As a student-led programme, there isn’t a guarantee that you will be asked to host a student, and you are also under no obligation to agree to hosting a student if approached by an adviser.

Over the course of my week at MediWales, I worked alongside Sophie, the Publications Editor. I wrote short news pieces and longer articles about science and technology in Wales, in addition to drafting a press release and sharing the latest news from organisations within the network via the MediWales website. I was also able to gain an insight into the publication progress by assisting in research for articles and proofreading the finished pieces, observing the format and tone of scientific articles in a practical context that I couldn’t have received elsewhere.

As well as gaining experience and an insight into my desired career path of scientific communication, undertaking this work taster with MediWales has improved confidence in my abilities, while also highlighting areas to improve. I feel I now have a better understanding of the expectations and requirements in a professional workplace. As a result I now want to continue striving and gaining experience in my somewhat niche desired career path, knowing experience of the career, like I have received at MediWales, is the way to achieve this.

Learn more about GO Wales by visiting the website.