My year as a Grayce intern

Grayce interns Zainab Nadeem and Rebecca Mensah, reflect on their year of part of the Grayce Internship programme. 

At Grayce, we are passionate about kickstarting the careers of young people and graduates. With a quickly growing business and expanding HR team, for us this meant there was no question in investing in an HR internship programme! 

Grayce’s Strategic HR Director, Gemma Collins says, “From my own experience, I know how valuable internships are, giving people an opportunity to develop skills and explore different disciplines, as well as letting them experience a professional working environment.” 

“We’re coming towards the end of the first internship year, and we have been blown away by Zainab and Rebecca, not only how they fully immersed themselves into the team but also the support they’ve provided to a number of projects from IT Transformation and D&I Initiatives to business process improvements.” 

As we reflect on the first year of our HR internship programme, interns and Manchester Metropolitan University students, Zainab and Rebecca, share their experience joining Grayce as HQ Support Officers in our People Services Team.  

What made you interested in an internship with Grayce? 

Zainab: “Initially, I was nervous about joining Grayce as it was my first internship and first experience of full-time work. Currently, I am studying Economics at Manchester Metropolitan University, and I wanted to gain some real-life experience before graduating. Whilst searching for an intern role, I came across Grayce, and it spiked my interest. The strong culture and community were exactly what I was looking for and the further I looked into Grayce’s core values, the more I realised they aligned with my own.” 

Rebecca: “The inclusive culture and community really attracted me to a role at Grayce. The intern position offered several opportunities to learn in different fields of the company and steered away from the monotony which other placement opportunities can sometimes focus on. Similarly, to Zainab, Grayce’s values align well with my own and I felt I could be a key part in embodying those values in my work.” 

What do you do as an intern at Grayce? 

Zainab: “As I quickly integrated into the HR team, I soon took on responsibility of many key functions, including timesheets, expenses, payroll, onboarding and screening, general queries, and creation of diversity reports. Working alongside Rebecca, I also helped set up the Manchester Collaboration Hub to ensure it was prepped to be opened when we began returning to the office.” 

Rebecca: “I soon took on key responsibilities within the team such as NDAs, timesheets, screening, payroll, mileage tracking, and supporting the set-up of training and out of office meetings. Aside from my main team responsibilities, I am proud to have worked on our Salesforce partnership to assist with external training meetings.” 

How have Grayce supported you? 

Zainab: “From when I first began, the entire HR team were extremely welcoming and ensured I had the support necessary to succeed. Grayce have placed an importance on my self-development, making sure I was well trained to complete my tasks to the best of my ability and really understood the world of work. I now feel that I am prepared to go into my final year of university with all the skills I’ve gained!” 

Rebecca: “Grayce has supported me to expand my knowledge immensely, especially when it comes to business and the management that occurs behind the scenes. The wraparound support Grayce has offered has not only supported my intern journey but also supported me whilst tackling personal challenges outside the work environment.” 

Self-development journey 

Zainab: “Completing an Economics degree, I was proficient in Microsoft Office, but I got to use my skills in a business capacity and expanded my learning (especially with Excel tricks) to make sure I was completing tasks in the most efficient way possible. Personally, my interpersonal skills have improved greatly whilst working at Grayce, from verbal and written communication, to teamwork, analytical abilities, problem solving and general business understanding. The internship has certainly been one I won’t forget, as I have learnt how to make use of my current existing skills but also hone them and improve even further.” 

Rebecca: “I enjoy looking back at how my soft skills have developed during my time at Grayce. From building on my communication skills, to increasing my Microsoft Excel proficiency, and learning the ins and outs of what is required and expected from employees in terms of legalities. My confidence has increased not only in my own ability but also the part I can play as I work in a team. Being exposed to the world of work has made me aware of business language, how to problem solve and manage my time to stay organised.” 

It’s been a pleasure for the Grayce team to see Zainab and Rebecca’s personal development and we hope they excel in the final year of their degrees equipped with their newly sharpened skillset!