Half Time Break

We all know that time passes much too quickly these days, and the first half of my internship has absolutely flown by! Now that I am halfway through, here are my thoughts on the tasks and issues I have faced so far.

One of my favourite tasks that I have completed so far is my public relations plan for the Transperth Get on Board educational program. This program is primarily used by primary schools, to promote the safe and responsible use of public transport. The program also includes a station tour, where Transperth employees show children how to safely use the public transport facilities available to them. The program has been around for years, however, they have had little to no promotional activities available to them. That is where I came in - I created a plan based around enlisting parents and teachers to get on board (pardon the pun) with the program, and to encourage their children to learn about public transport in a fun and safe manner. 

One of the major challenges I faced when creating the plan was a lack of background knowledge on who the program had already targeted, and how to overcome the lack of promotional efforts when there was no set budget. I found that a lot of the ideas that I had would have cost way too much money in the end, and that it was quite difficult to try and limit myself to smaller activities that would be more within budget. 

I have also really enjoyed being able to experience what it is like to work in an office full time, and how one must learn to motivate and support themselves to ensure that each piece of work is completed to the best of their abilities. Being in front of a computer all day is a big change from the average casual job, however I found that I was able to get many tasks completed in one day, and managed to keep up with all the smaller tasks that were assigned to me over the past two weeks. Almost every day there would be more information to slot into spreadsheets, and more events to organise or begin to plan for the upcoming year. You don't realise just how busy you will be until you check the clock and it is almost time to go home!

Overall, the first half of my placement has been great. The people that I have worked with have all been very helpful and welcoming, even if I had to ask a hundred questions before I understood what they wanted me to do. They have all been very willing to lend a hand, and have been very encouraging and grateful for the help that I have been able to give them. 

Now it is time for a short break for Christmas, then back to finish the final half of my placement - I cannot wait!