Sophie thinks about her Enterprise experience….and cake!

“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

 
The past twelve weeks has gone incredible quickly and it seems like only yesterday that I walked into a room of strangers, knowing absolutely nothing about enterprise and IP. While it hasn’t been plain sailing, the weeks of research, planning and eating copious amounts of cake in the office have paid off.

 
My placement has involved me mapping out the existing enterprise opportunities that exist at the University, thinking of ways in which we can encourage students to get involved. Enterprise skills are highly valued by employers and what better way to develop these skills than at the University of Southampton which is a fantastic hub for creativity and innovation.

 
The aim of my research was to encourage students to use their skills to make an impact and by doing so, I have done the same! Through creating two brand new modules both at Faculty and University level as well as several IP workshops to promote the importance of protecting your creative works, I have come to realise how enterprising I am. The placement has made me more confident in my abilities, improving my communication, problem-solving and project management skills. Being shortlisted for the Creativity Award at the Excel awards was the icing on the cake (a second mention of cake – I really do love cake).

 
Students will soon come to understand that you don’t have to be a business student to be an enterprising person. All you need is creativity, initiative and enthusiasm to recognise opportunities that may not be so noticeable to others.

 
The one thing I didn’t expect to happen was to finish this internship with a fantastic new group of friends. The Mission Employable team have been so welcoming and I look forward to continuing my work with them during term time as both a Film and Enterprise representative on the Student Working Group.

Sophie