Learning, growth and experience – our internships at the Infrastructure Investment Fund

During the summer, 41 young people from London completed a paid internship thanks to the support of our partners, the Infrastructure Industry Foundation. They created videos to share some of their experiences.

Over four weeks, Career Ready students had the opportunity to network with members of the Infrastructure Industry Foundation. They took part in interactive sessions, listened to talks, and went on site visits to learn all about the industry, the roles involved, and the importance of sustainability.

“One of the best moments of the internship for me was definitely meeting all the different people and learning about what they do,” says intern Maddie. “There are so many different roles, and you can get there in so many different ways.”

The students also built on practical skills – learning about Excel, financial literacy and financial modeling – and soft skills.

“When I started this internship, I wasn’t really confident in public speaking,” says Faith. “I would quiver a lot on stage or murmur, but now I have that confidence. I’m comfortable now.”

During their internships, we asked the students to create short videos sharing their experience. Here’s a look at what they did, learned, and enjoyed, recorded by the young people themselves:

You can also see some of the other videos the students produced:

Ishika, Alisha, Samia and Georgina share a day in the life during their internship.

Angelina and Daniella share their thoughts on the internship in this Q&A.

Ia, Tasmiah and Nouradiin share their thoughts on their paid internship.

A Q&A with students on the internship.

Ritson and Medina share their Career Ready journey.

Maddie and El Rafael share their experience during the internship.

Video transcript:

So we’ve met lots of infrastructure investment funds and learned a lot about the work they do to ensure that, all different types of communities can gain access to essential infrastructure.

One of the best moments of the internship for me was definitely meeting all the different people from me and the IIF and learning about what they do. There are so many different roles and you can get that in so many different ways.

I really enjoyed a session we did on financial literacy. We got a little bit of Excel skills and learned a bit about our own futures, such as like how we deal with student loans.

I’ve learned to better my communication skills and work with people who aren’t necessarily wouldn’t have worked with before,

I learned how to use Excel and did financial modeling,

Infrastructure isn’t just about buildings. It’s also about social media and how transport is made and how we use it in our daily lives.

We got to go to many places like the Stratford Stagecoach bus depot, Gatwick Airport

When we went ICON Infrastructure and we learned about the financial side of infrastructure. Even as someone who’s not necessarily interested in finance. It was really interesting to learn the money side of it and how that works.

I would say the Gatwick trip. Oh, you mean this Gatwick trip?

When I started this internship, I wasn’t really confident in public speaking. I would quiver a lot on stage or in a murmur, but now I have that confidence. I have that, you know, I’m comfortable now.

If I could sum up this internship in three words, I’d probably say learning, growth, and experience

I’ve gained a lot of practical knowledge into this industry,

I’ve had to step up my comfort zone

I’ve gained a lot of hands on exposure to this world and how the financial industry runs.