We are delighted to share our fourth blog in our Employ.ed on Campus series from Jocelyn, a fourth year Painting student at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA)…
Hello! I’m Jocelyn, a fourth year Painting student at ECA over the summer of 2024 I did a signage internship with the Estates Team at ECA.
Employ.ed on Campus programme – how I found out about it
I found out about the programme through the university student newsletter. As a painting student, I was doubtful that there would be any internships to suit my skills and interests. I believed internships were only for STEM students!
When browsing the available internships, I came across the role of Signage Intern. I’ve worked on signage-based projects in the past and have an interest in the power of effective signage and ways of thinking differently about signage. The role required an ability to organise and plan a large project – something I love doing.
What my role as a Signage intern involved
My internship was 9 – 5, Monday – Friday, and I was based in the Estates office on ECA’s Lauriston campus. The role was to work towards creating an ECA Standard Signage Protocol. We already have a university-wide protocol which sets out an approach to signage (what type of sign to use in what scenario). However, because ECA merged with the university in 2011, the signage across our buildings is confusing; aesthetically not cohesive and outdated. This was challenging since ECA’s spaces (e.g. studios and workshops) are not considered in the university protocol.
The ECA estate covers eight different buildings. Prior to my start date, eight different types of signage (signage packages) were identified: Mandatory, Room, Wayfinding, Space Management, Noticeboards, Events, Digital and Miscellaneous. My role was to create a guidance document tailored to ECA’s signage. The hope is to be able to use this document to implement cohesive, effective and clear signage across the eight buildings.
My hopes for this experience
Originally, I wanted to earn some money and gain experience working a full-time job, and this seemed like a really supported way to do that. However, I got so much more than I bargained for! I got to meet interesting, knowledgeable and kind people, work on a project I became really passionate about and interested in, develop digital and communication skills and use my creativity.
The Edinburgh Award – an added benefit
I chose three skills to improve as part of the Edinburgh Award. I’ve listed these, the steps I took to try and improve on, and what I learnt:
- Collaboration and working with others as part of a team.
I’m not naturally inclined towards teamwork, but seeking out the expertise and opinions of those within the ECA Estates Team resulted in my work being much more specific in its focus. I learnt that teamwork is rarely negative! Even if you don’t get the results you want, you don’t lose anything by involving others.
- Networking.
I made sure I had a good mix of meetings where my manager accompanied me and meetings which I undertook myself – this enabled me to see the way that other people network in person and then have a go at doing it myself.
I learnt that any type of connection with anyone is networking! Don’t stress too much about what counts and what doesn’t.
- Seeking out opportunities
I kept my reach as broad as possible and have made a point of saying yes to any opportunities offered. As a result, I have met new people, had interesting conversations and learnt so much more about the buildings on the ECA estate. I have discovered that the key to being offered opportunities is to be friendly, approachable and interested with anyone I’ve been introduced to. One of my main obstacles is self-doubt and nervousness, but I recognise that being direct in what I need from people and seeking out feedback always yields positive results.
The learning opportunities were endless
Completing the internship has given me so much confidence! I feel like I know so much more about my strengths and weaknesses and I know I’m capable of working in a setting like this (and enjoying it!). I’ve learnt a lot just by being in an office environment and watching other people do their jobs – kind of like being in a different country and listening to the language being spoken. As a student at ECA I had no idea about the work which goes on behind the scenes by the Estates Team to keep everything functioning – I think if all students saw that, it would have a really positive effect.
My words of advice to future students considering taking part in an Employ.ed on Campus internship
I want to stress that this experience can be for anyone and everyone! Even putting together an application and doing the interview was such a helpful experience to have. There’s nothing to lose.
Top tips
- Don’t just consider – apply!
- If your interviewing team believes you can do the internship, trust them (even if you’re worried you don’t meet all the criteria – as long as you are willing to work towards developing an understanding of those areas that’s the most important thing).
- If you’re offered the role – say yes and stick at it! I was so nervous, I almost couldn’t bring myself to walk into the office on the first day. You’ll be so proud of yourself later.
- Be inquisitive.
- You have the option to take part in the Edinburgh Award as part of your internship – do it! It’s a really great way to track your progress over the summer.
- Use the Careers Service CV and interview resources.
Looking ahead – what’s next for me?
I’d love to do a masters in studio based fine art. I’ll have to work for a couple of years beforehand in order to fund it, so I’m really glad I had this experience of a full-time role before launching into full-time work after graduation.
A huge thanks to Jocelyn for his fantastic insight.
A key message Jocelyn highlighted is that the Employ.ed on Campus programme is open to undergraduate students of all disciplines (2nd, 3rd and penultimate year). So, don’t miss out! Look out for Employ.ed on Campus 2025 opportunities, which will be advertised in February 2025. You can find out more on our webpage.
