Policy and Communications Internship 2024

Our business

Cwmpas is a development agency working for positive change, in Wales and across the UK. We are a co-operative, and our focus is on building a fairer, greener economy and a more equal society, where people and planet come first.

We aim to create a greener and fairer economy by working to increase the proportion of the economy made up by social enterprises, co-operatives and employee-owned businesses; a more equal society by working to advance social justice – increasing access, equity, diversity and participation; and making positive change happen by working with people and organisations to take action for social good.

Underpinning our work is a commitment to delivering support to people, communities and businesses in ways that reflect our own co-operative values. We believe that how we do things is just as important as what we do. Our values are inspired by the international co-operative principles but are written in the words of our staff. They are:

• be co-operative
• be supportive
• be fair
• have integrity
• be positive
• be inspirational.

As a not-for-profit organisation, our work is financed through contracts and trading as well as being supported by a variety of funders including Welsh Government.

You can read all about our areas of work here, and you can read about the impact that we make here.

Our people

Across Wales we now employ nearly 100 people of different ages, genders and sexual orientations.  However, we recognise that we are not fully representing the communities that we serve in terms of race and are very keen to ensure that we fully embrace the skills, abilities and cultural experiences of people from diverse ethnic backgrounds because we believe that equity, diversity and inclusion is critical to our growth.

Our work placement

What is the aim?

For several years we have offered various work experience placements to people who need support to enter the world of work.  In 2021, 2022 and 2023 we offered an internship specifically with the aim of encouraging applications from people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, who are traditionally under-represented in the Welsh labour market. We worked in partnership with Race Council Cymru to deliver this. Our 2021 Intern is now working in a full-time, permanent position in Policy and Public Affairs, and our 2022 intern is working for a London-based communications agency.  We are now looking to recruit another intern on the same basis for our 2024 placement.

What is on offer?

We will offer a 12-week internship with our Policy and Communications team. The internship will run from Monday 15^th January 2024 to Friday 5^th April 2024. We will pay the real living wage for this role, i.e., £12 per hour (equivalent to £21,840 per annum).

Ideally, the internship would be a full-time role (35 hours per week), but we would also consider the intern working on a part-time basis (21-35 hours per week) if this helps to support other commitments.

The Intern will work from home utilising digital solutions such as Microsoft Teams to communicate with team members and manage work documents. Digital equipment will be supplied to enable them to do this.  Where travel within Wales is required, Cwmpas will pay mileage costs or will purchase tickets for public transport.

What will you be doing?

Based in our Policy and Communications team, you will be involved in reaching out to communities across Wales to promote and encourage engagement with our Digital Communities Wales programme.

This will involve researching and writing engaging case studies and sharing these on our website and various social media channels.  You will also assist with the planning and delivery of Digital Communities Wales webinars, and you will help with maintaining the Digital Communities Wales social media accounts.

What will you learn?

You will learn about the ever-growing importance of the digital inclusion agenda, and how the policy and communications function can support a business to achieve its goals.

You will gain valuable experience of working as part of a small but busy team, which delivers a great service to our internal and external clients.

We will provide you with a remit for your work, which will allow you to work independently and use your own creativity but will also provide you with support when you need it.

You will have access to our E-learning Hub, which has a wide range of modules available on such subjects as Health and Safety, GDPR, Leadership, IT and Well-being.  You will also be involved in team meetings and will be able to take part in any internal training opportunities that might arise from time to time.

Once you have finished your internship, you will be able to refer to the skills that you have learned on future job applications – whether this is for us as part of our usual competitive recruitment process, or for other organisations.

What skills do you need?

We are looking for candidates who are:

• committed to our company values
• able to promote our commitment to equality, fairness and inclusion
• able to communicate (verbally and in writing) to a high standard in English
• able to organise themselves well and handle different work for different deadlines
• able to work well within a team
• able to think creatively, and suggest new ideas
• able to use a computer and platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or YouTube.

Who can apply?

If you think you would be a good fit for our work placement, we are looking for people:

• who can evidence the right to work in the UK
• who are able to commit to the full 12-week placement period
• who can access the internet from home
• who can travel to meetings or events as required.

We particularly encourage applications from people who are traditionally underrepresented in the Welsh labour market, but this placement is open to all eligible applicants regardless of sex, age, disability, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, religion, belief or non-belief, pregnancy, marriage or civil partnership. It is also open to people with any level of work experience in any field, including those with no experience at all.

How do you apply?

To apply for the internship please complete our short application form and email it to recruitment@cwmpas.coop.

You must submit your applications by midnight on Sunday 17^th December 2023.

If you have any questions, please contact Nicola Leybourne, People and Culture Partner on 029 2080 7113.

We look forward to hearing from you!