{"id":20692,"date":"2025-11-18T15:28:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T15:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.familyfund.org.uk\/?p=20692"},"modified":"2025-11-18T15:30:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T15:30:36","slug":"student-stories-driving-accessibility-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.familyfund.org.uk\/news\/student-stories-driving-accessibility-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Student stories: driving accessibility at work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our student internships and placements are a great way for us to support young people to gain skills and work experience that kick-start their careers and they bring real benefits to Family Fund too. Here, Hazel and Caitlyn’s stories highlight how intentional support, accessible working practices and a true culture of belonging can open doors not just to employment, but to confidence, capability and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating space for everyone to thrive<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hazel, who studied Historical Archaeology at the University of York, joined Family Fund as an internal communications intern with a clear remit to improve the digital accessibility of documents used across the Group. With accessibility being “very close to their heart,” Hazel was motivated by the chance to make a visible difference. During their placement, Hazel created a suite of new templates with accessibility built in – so when new documents are created, they are accessible from the off! They then went on to update more than 300 documents, improving job descriptions, internal policies and public-facing resources to ensure they were clearer, easier to use and more accessible for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only did Hazel make a real contribution to Family Fund, they benefited from the experience too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I felt very welcome,” Hazel shared. “I learnt so many skills that I can use in future. Seeing the impact of my work before and after was incredibly satisfying.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hazel left their internship with strengthened digital skills, a deeper understanding of the barriers disabled people can face and a renewed focus on organisation, something they say will support them both in workplace settings and in future archaeological fieldwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hazel was not the first intern to join Family Fund from the University of York – we have an ongoing relationship that has spanned many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From placement student to manager<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Caitlyn’s journey shows how a placement opportunity at Family Fund while also studying at the University of York can spark a long-term career. What began as a one-year university placement with Family Fund Business Services (FFBS) grew into part-time work during her final year of study, followed by a full-time role after graduation. Three years on, Caitlyn is now on a management secondment and thriving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“FFBS has genuinely helped me grow, both professionally and personally,” Caitlyn said. “I’ve been supported at every step-even taking time out to volunteer overseas in Fiji, which was life-changing.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From representing the organisation at conferences to leading tendering strategies, Caitlyn has gained experience far beyond what she imagined on her first day as a nervous placement student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrating student impact<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tracy Evans, Group Director of HR and Facilities, recently attended the University of York Internship Celebration event. She reflected:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“What a brilliant event. It was fantastic to hear presentations from four students about their internships across York, learning about the impact they made and the benefit the organisations had enjoyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The students brought fresh ways of thinking, exceptional skills and a fresh perspective, clearly making a real difference to the organisations they worked in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and it also gave me lots of ideas for next summer!”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A culture that invests in people<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

These stories reflect Family Fund’s wider commitment to inclusive employment practices. Interns and placement students are welcomed as valued contributors whose voices and talents shape the organisation from day one. Support-whether through flexible working, accessible processes or opportunities to learn-is woven into every stage of their experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By creating pathways that lift people up, Family Fund empowers emerging professionals to discover their strengths, grow in confidence and build meaningful, fulfilling careers. Hazel and Caitlyn’s experiences are proof of what’s possible when an organisation leads with inclusivity, compassion and trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our student internships and placements are a great way for us to support young people to gain skills and work experience that kick-start their careers and they bring real benefits to Family Fund too. Here, Hazel and Caitlyn’s stories highlight how intentional support, accessible working practices and a true culture of belonging can open doors […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":20693,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_mixd_wp_review_post_reminders":[],"_mixd_wp_review_date":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,59],"class_list":["post-20692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-staff-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStudent stories: driving accessibility at work - Family Fund<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our student internships and placements are a great way for us to support young people to gain skills and work experience that kick-start their careers and they bring real benefits to Family Fund too. 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