Danny Savage is Head of Commercial for Alternative Heat in Banbridge. Hosting a paid internship helped Caleb, his mentee, explore his options in the world of work.
“At the start of process, Caleb and I discussed what we wanted to improve on and what professional route he was interested in,” Danny explains. “Caleb wasn’t entirely sure on what career path he wanted to go down, and he was keen to develop his confidence, especially in public speaking.
“We focused on these two elements and aimed to develop both.”
Exploring different options
After first meeting Caleb last year, Danny welcomed him to Alternative Heat over the summer for a paid internship, to learn more about the world of construction.
“An internship with their mentor gives a young person a chance to experience a live professional working environment,” says Danny. “It gives them a new perspective of life after education and helps develop thoughts on what route they want to take.”
To help Caleb explore different options, Danny structured his internship to make sure he had insight to a variety of roles across the company. He learned about contract law, built on his IT skills, studied project plans and reports, and even did a stint in the marketing team.
“We made sure to give him experience in all departments within the company, which has opened his mind to some new ideas,” says Danny.
Seeing the impact
“Based on his feedback, I feel I’ve had a good impact on Caleb’s career and personal development,” Danny says.
“Seeing him deliver his presentation at the end of his summer internship was a really rewarding moment. It was a fantastic presentation, and he was incredibly confident in his delivery of it.
“So, we achieved what we set out to do – improve Caleb’s confidence and public speaking – which was great to see.
“I would definitely recommend the programme – it is very rewarding to see your mentee develop. The Career Ready team are very helpful also – making the whole process an easy one to get involved in.
“And a final shout out to Caleb also – he made the process an easy one for me.”
