For most young people, choosing a future career path can feel daunting. That’s why opportunities to step into a real workplace, meet professionals and work on genuine business challenges can make such a difference.
This summer, East Midlands Freeport welcomed three interns through the Career Ready programme, giving Emma, Amara and Abby the chance to experience life inside a growing organisation that is helping to create jobs, attract investment and shape the future of the region.
Over the course of their placements, the interns worked alongside colleagues from across the Freeport, learning about everything from skills and employment to investment, planning and communications. They attended meetings, spoke to team members and partners, including the Mayor of the East Midlands, and gained a behind-the-scenes understanding of how organisations turn ideas into action.
At the heart of their internship was ‘The Place Project’ – a challenge that asked each intern to imagine they had £50,000 to invest in a community project close to one of East Midlands Freeport’s sites. Using research, local data and conversations with the team, they developed proposals designed to support local people, raise aspirations and help communities benefit from the opportunities the Freeport is creating.
The challenge required them to think like real decision-makers. They considered issues such as local need, accessibility, community engagement, sustainability and long-term impact, before presenting their recommendations to the Freeport team.
While the project was designed as a learning exercise, it demonstrated something much bigger: that young people have valuable ideas, unique perspectives and an important role to play in shaping the future of their communities.
For East Midlands Freeport, hosting interns is about more than providing work experience. It is an opportunity to help young people build confidence, develop new skills and understand the exciting career opportunities emerging across sectors such as logistics, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and innovation. At the same time, the organisation benefits from fresh thinking, new questions and different viewpoints.
Emma Chouhan, Skills & Communities Lead at East Midlands Freeport, said:
“One of the most rewarding parts of this programme has been seeing the confidence the interns have developed in such a short space of time. They arrived eager to learn, asked thoughtful questions, embraced every opportunity and produced some genuinely impressive ideas.
“The Career Ready programme gives young people the chance to experience the workplace in a meaningful way, helping them understand what’s possible and develop skills they will take into future careers. For us, it’s also a reminder of the talent we have here in the East Midlands and the importance of creating pathways into the opportunities that are being generated across the region.
“Emma, Amara and Abby have all been a pleasure to work with and we hope their experience with East Midlands Freeport is just the beginning of an exciting journey.”
As East Midlands Freeport continues its work to unlock investment, create jobs and support local communities, developing future talent remains a vital part of that mission.
Hear directly from Emma, Amara and Abby in the video below as they reflect on their experience, the skills they’ve developed and what they’ve learned during their time with East Midlands Freeport.