Grace Academy student Vera completed a paid internship with mentor Paul at SEGRO in Coventry over the summer – which helped her discover a potential career interest in HR. This is her story.
Vera Okwara joined the team at SEGRO’s office in Coventry for a paid internship in summer 2024 – an opportunity to find out about lots of different career paths.
“During the four weeks of my internship, I explored different areas of the company such as HR, Finance, Infrastructure and more,” she says.
“I had a role called Property Developer. I was able to go out to sites owned by the company and speak to contractors. I was part of meetings and was even able to chair meetings. I learnt different words used in this field and found out about projects the team were working on.
“My favourite moment was with HR. It sparked something in me about a career I never thought of looking at. I liked learning about how they make sure everything is going well with the people working at SEGRO, and think of ways they can improve their time there.”
“I also learnt about skills that are transferable to different careers.”
“I loved the workplace at SEGRO, and how it was designed to make the place enjoyable. You could see how everyone worked together, regardless of what department they were from. It gave me an insight to how it is working there.”
Working with my mentor
Vera’s mentor was Paul Dunne, who is Group Customer and Operations Director at SEGRO.
“Having a mentor meant I had someone to speak to about future steps, and how to get there,” she says. “We also looked at CVs and personal statements, and how I could push forward.”
“Paul helped me expand my network and look at different career paths to explore what career is best for me.”
Next steps
“Before Career Ready, I was unsure about my future place, and what there was other than maybe going into the field of medicine,” says Vera.
“The internship made me realise that medicine isn’t for me. Even though property isn’t either, it made me realise my love for HR and helping people.”
“I’m going to university next year to do Dental Hygiene and Therapy. But in the summer in between, I’m planning to do an HR internship or work experience in HR.
“Career Ready has helped me and so many of my classmates into getting experience which is so helpful for CVs or your personal statement. It’s also made me grow other skills which I never thought of and improve them.
“Now I feel surer about my future and choosing the right career for me.”
