Reflections from our summer internship programme

As part of the 10,000 Black Interns programme, we offer a summer internship at our offices in Enfield. Here interns get to experience departments at NLPSS undertaking tasks for our service development, hiring, client services, occupational health, medical workforce and reporting teams.

Luwam Rezene, a psychology student from Enfield studying at the University of Kent, joined us in July for an eight-week experience of working in NHS corporate services. She shares how the tailored internship allowed her to gain insights into a wide range of tasks, learn different skills and apply that learning to add value to the NLPSS teams.

What made you sign up to the 10,000 black interns programme at NLPSS?

I wanted to do something with my time this summer and I was signing up to a lot of internships, but NLPSS’s healthcare management really spoke out to me because I worked in healthcare previously as a healthcare support worker for five years. So, I always understood how it works from the ground up, and now I am seeing how the information is processed and handled from above.

What are your future career plans?

My overall career aspiration is to be an occupational psychologist and with that pursue forms of consultancy, but to do it for the betterment of communities, people and institutions. This internship is a good insight to see how an establishment carries itself and how it’s organised. As much as school is insightful and the learning objectives are there, there is no better teacher than experience.

Has your time at NLPSS helped further your career plans?

I’ve learned so much at NLPSS and I’m so keen and eager to take away everything I’ve learned and apply that in my final year.

What have you enjoyed the most at NLPSS?

The skills I have learnt are very transferable amongst the departments. Let’s say I learn something in the hiring team, I could put it towards something that I think will make another department more efficient. When you have a great picture of how all things are run, you can see what might work better.

What would your advice be to other interns?

I know people shy away from things that they’re not too sure about — I used to be one of those people. But now seeing things and learning things that I didn’t know before coming here, pushes me to want to learn new things after my time here.

Would you recommend this internship to someone else?

110%. The layout of the team is extremely unique and very beneficial to an intern because not only are you gaining insight into one organisation, but because you’re switching between departments, you’re get a feel of how everything works. From there you can assess what you actually like, want to go into or what you like more. It is like having many internships in one.

Everyone’s been welcoming and friendly and have been willing to integrate me into their teams. I couldn’t honestly tell you one negative thing about my experience.

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