I wanted to do a placement because I wanted to gain experience, with so many people graduating in Computing, I wanted to set myself apart in some way. I heard about it through a presentation that Gwent Police provided at university, and received help from my Placement Partner and the Careers team in applying for the internship.
I was incredibly lucky to achieve an internship with Gwent Police, I was able to work on real cases and attend warrants, all while gaining knowledge, skills and experience that I never would have if I had not been on an internship.
I worked with industry professionals who were more than happy to teach me everything they knew and help me through everything I was doing, and I gained skills about hardware, techniques, and processes in a laboratory. I was particularly proud that I got to attend a meeting with the Financial Board and the Deputy Chief Commissioner for Gwent Police, here I was able to network amongst some of the most important people in the organisation who were very interested in finding out what I thought about internships and how I thought working with Gwent Police would help me in the future. I also met with the Recorder of Cardiff and attended Cardiff Crown Court several times with cases that I had worked on – helping lawyers and barristers with their enquiries in any way I could, this was a brilliant experience.
I met so many wonderful people, many of whom I am still close with today, and I will always be incredibly thankful for the opportunities that I was provided with in Gwent Police. I have been able to return back to university with so much knowledge and have even started my dissertation early due to finalising my topic and question with my colleagues in Gwent Police. I will be working closely with them through my dissertation and they have offered to help me in any way they can.
I did not intend to do an internship originally, but I am so glad that I did – it has provided me with connections, knowledge and skills that I will make use of for the rest of my career.