During the six months I worked on about five different projects, working with different public services, ranging from the NHS to London Metropolitan Police, I was able to develop new innovation skills, such as research, facilitation and brokerage and work with and learn from different Innovation Unit staff. You also get to go to workshops and events where you meet people on the ground - running public services - and hear about the challenges they face. This variety is one of the best parts of the internship.
It is also brilliant that it is a paid internship, and apart from making an internship possible, it is a real testament to Innovation Unit’s commitment to its social mission. The internship programme has been running for just over a year. This means that everyone involved, including interns, are encouraged to help improve the process as much as possible. So, there is scope you’re your mark and improve the programme so it is even better.
After my internship I applied for a position at the Innovation Unit and was lucky enough to get it. I am now a Project Coordinator on the Innovation Unit’s health projects and spend my days in the company of midwives and GPs working to deliver different, better and, with luck cheaper health services.
