The Get Set Supported Internship Programme by Blackburn College provides valuable paid work experience for individuals with learning difficulties to support them into future employment and has been supported by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, LCRIG and most recently, Multevo.
As a socially responsible SME, it was a no brainer for Multevo to participate in the local initiative and back in April 2021 they welcomed Sophie Kellet on board for an 8-week paid internship within their marketing department.
Sophie was tasked with completing various marketing related projects including market research, graphic design, article writing and videography to provide her with a new skillset in something she had not yet explored as a career path.
Research projects included investigating Safer Highway’s Stamp It Out Campaign, which aims to end roadworker abuse and is an initiative that Multevo are avid supporters of as members of Safer Highways. Part of this task also involved identifying internal campaigns that Multevo could run to support their highways heroes wellbeing; Sophie created a visual poster in relation to men’s mental health to be shared directly with operatives via the Multevo App.
“Sophie has come on in leaps and bounds working with Multevo, discovering new skills, understanding some of the tasks and roles within a marketing department. I’d even go as far as saying Multevo are one of the best employers I have worked with in 15 years.” – Gabby Houlihan, Supported Internship Coordinator, Blackburn College.
One task Sophie was assigned with was to write her own news article on her journey on the Get Set Internship Programme with Multevo so others can understand and get involved too, which can be read below:
This is my Journey on how I joined Multevo – by Sophie Kellett
Who am I and what is Get Set, you ask?
Hey, I’m Sophie Kellett and I’m currently on an internship working with the marketing side of Multevo. I wouldn’t have been able to do this internship without the help of Get Set. Get Set is a supported internship course to get young people with learning disabilities in work placements. On Get Set you learn a variety of different skills, such as social skills, work skills, teamwork and we even had a course where we learnt how to cook. Whilst on Get Set we go to a variety of different places for work experience, so it gives us a sense of what a job is and it helps us learn more new skills. Get Set is a great course to help students build up their confidence and gain new skills and I’m very much grateful that I took the course. After Get Set, I was sent to work with LCRIG which a company that works on the highways and I learnt a variety of different things, but it’s quite different to Multevo, such as with LCRIG I was given task that would suit me for what I wanted to do in the future. Where as Multevo are showing me the ropes of Marketing, so even though I’ve done task on mental health, they’ve made it, so I get the taste of a different job, which has been just as fun.
What have I learnt from Multevo
I understand that Multevo is a company that hires and sells multihog machines, they can perform many functions because of the various amounts of attachments that can fit on the machine, this is handy because it can be changed so it suits the jobs that need doing correctly. I also know that Multevo can hire out their workers to contract working on the machines, so Multevo men are always busy working away. Multevo, also carry out repairs on roads and potholes, which also keep the Multevo men busy! I’ve learned how to research properly and how to question it, to see what’s different, I did this when looking at different mental health charities. I’ve learnt how to use Canva, which I must say is quite cool, I got to use this when making my mental health poster. I’ve got a real taste of what marketing is about and I’ve even learnt how the weed control works as well. I have a few more weeks working with Multevo, so I’m very much looking forward to learning more things.
What do I want for my future?
I know that I want to help people, ever since I was young, I’ve always wanted to help people. I’d like to work along the lines of mental health as I think I’d be quite good in working in that department. However, from doing different things, I’m not sure what I want to do. I suppose its great that I’m doing an internship because it’s giving me a chance to try new things and learn new skills.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I am very much enjoying the journey that I am on, it’s giving me the chance to try something new and giving me new options of what I could possibly do in the future.
Multevo are now urging other organisations to get involved by providing work placements for individuals who are currently working through the programme. For further information on how to get involved please contact Gabby Houlihan on 01254 292 467.
