Our amazing Worthwhile alumni!
After completing a year on Worthwhile, our alumni become valued members of our Worthwhile Community. Here are a few case studies from our Community members on what Worthwhile meant to them and how it impacted their careers.
Rhiannon - joined Worthwhile in 2016, worked at Renaisi
I spent my Worthwhile placement working at Renaisi as a research analyst. Data collection was a huge part of my role and involved getting to grips with new statistical analysis techniques and software programmes such as Arcmap and Tableau. I also had the opportunity to create my own data collection tools to measure and record our teams key performance indicators. Besides becoming an Excel guru, I have enhanced my evaluation expertise and knowledge of the social enterprise sector, and the technical and analytical skills I have gained on my placement have put me in a really strong position to move forward. This placement helped me understand what I enjoyed and what I'm good at. Therefore not only do I feel equipped for a career in the social sector with my skills and experience, but I also know what roles will suit me and where I can add value. I am now about to start a new job at Transport for London working in their demand forecasting team in order to understand, analyse and predict travel in London. |
Jayni - joined Worthwhile in 2014, worked at Student Hubs
Through Worthwhile I gained a role as Programmes Officer at Student Hubs, Cambridge. During my placement I mainly worked on the Social Enterprise Awards Scheme alongside the Social Innovation Project. I found that working with these two projects really boosted my project management and public speaking skills, and allowed me to learn more about the social enterprise sector. My placement with Student Hubs put me in a really good position to undertake a variety of different roles. Since Worthwhile I have taken on the role as director at Unseen Tours, a social enterprise that trains people affected by homelessness to become walking tour guides of London. Continuing with the stream of responsible tourism, I worked on some community based micro-enterprise initiatives as part of the Ninka Nanka trail along the River Gambia. Currently I balance my role as director at Unseen Tours with an assistant general manager role at Ground Asia. |
Rebecca - joined Worthwhile in 2017, worked at Care Workers Charity
Applying to Worthwhile led me to secure a placement at The Care Workers Charity. As part of my role as engagement manager I led the events committee to develop and host a calendar of events. These ranged from professional conferences to drinks receptions! I was in charge of managing over £10,000 of events sponsorship so my placement definitely taught me how to organise large-scale events and manage budgets. During my role I also had to build and manage relationships with corporate supporters to secure future donations and funding. With all experiences combined I think my ability to communicate and engage with different types of people has really improved. I really enjoyed my time working at The Care Workers Charity so have continued to work there since my placement! |
Rachel - joined Worthwhile in 2016, worked at Student Minds and UMHAN
On Worthwhile I worked at Student Minds and The University Mental Health Advisers Network. Working at a small charity has allowed me to undertake a wide range of exciting and challenging work. Since finishing with Worthwhile, I have stayed on at Student Minds, working specifically on our policy, through projects and research. Worthwhile helped lay the foundations for my career. Through the training, meet-ups and resources I have gained confidence within my role. I heard from other graduates about their experiences in a wide range of positions, and from this I learnt a lot. The regular training sessions were a brilliant opportunity to develop skills, reflect, and think about the future of my career. |
Matt - joined Worthwhile in 2015, worked at Student Hubs
On Worthwhile I worked in the national team at youth social action charity Student Hubs, where I did lots of event planning, delivered training, and managed volunteers. My big project was working on the national Student Volunteering Week 2016 campaign, thinking of ways to raise the profile of volunteering on campuses across the country. Since Worthwhile I have had a stint with innovation think tank Nesta, where I drew on my event planning experience to help organise a European policy summit. Now I work in Parliament as a researcher for Labour MP Chi Onwurah, and spend a lot of time reading up on policy issues, drafting speeches, and writing briefings. Working in politics is as chaotic as you might imagine, but I'm loving every minute so far. |