Here at BT Ireland, we are immensely proud to work with Dublin City University (DCU) on a number of programmes that give young people access to third level education and experience in a commercial organisation. Our latest interns from the DCU Access programme and STEM Teacher Internship are Adam McLoughlin and Ellen Foran.
Firstly, let us meet Ellen who has joined the Chief Technology Office (CTO) for her internship.
My name is Ellen Foran, and I am from Tramore, Co. Waterford. I’ve joined the BT Ireland team as a STEM Teacher intern after finishing my degree in Science Education at University College Cork (UCC). The STEM Teacher Internship Programme is run by DCU with the aim of giving future primary and post-primary STEM teachers experience in STEM roles across multiple different industries.
I was a competitive swimmer for most of my life, and I swam for the University College Cork swimming club during my time there. In college, I specialised in Biology and Chemistry, and I chose to do my internship with BT Ireland because I wanted to expand my knowledge into other areas of STEM subjects to better inform my students of the exciting opportunities a career in technology can offer them. I was also eager to find out more about the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition which is such an important part of STEM education.
My experience at BT Ireland over the last number of weeks has been extremely positive, and I have already learnt so much. The transition from the classroom to industry has been an interesting experience for me. I have been working with the CTO team learning about how the team functions and what the day-to-day entails. I am seeing daily that a career in the technology industry is both rewarding and exciting. As a teacher, it has been so valuable getting the opportunity to meet with various members of the BT Ireland team to discuss their roles and how they ended up in their current role.
Next up is Adam who is working with the Communications team this summer.
My name is Adam McLoughlin, I am nineteen, from Ballymun in North Dublin, and I’ve just finished first year in DCU studying Marketing Innovation and Technology (MINT).
My hobbies have never really changed since I was a kid. I play Gaelic and hurling for my GAA club Erin’s Isle in Finglas. I am a huge football fan, and I have supported Manchester United for as long as I can remember.
When the opportunity to become an intern at BT Ireland I didn’t think twice. In the recruitment process, speaking to Priscilla in BT reinforced my decision to want to come to the organisation. Priscilla was very kind and welcoming in our first chat which left me with no doubt I was making the correct decision. I was aware of the size of BT through watching BT sport. I felt that having an opportunity to intern in such a big organisation would benefit me and my future career.
In my time at BT, I am looking to further my connections and contacts in the corporate world, as well as gaining as much experience and knowledge as I can which will stand to me during college and beyond. I’m also looking to gain enjoyment out of my time with BT as the last thing I wanted coming into this internship was the feel miserable or not motivated. Thankfully, this has not been the case so far, and I’m really enjoying my internship so far.
My initial thoughts have been good ones. I was surprised by the atmosphere around the office and how welcoming the people I have dealt with have been. I’ve been made feel very comfortable and at ease in the office for which I am grateful. The people on the Comms team have welcomed me with open arms and are happy to answer any queries I have as well as offering their advice and experience to me.
BT is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and investing in education is a priority for us. As well as our support for programmes such as these, we are also delighted to announce a new three-year partnership to organise the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition.