Lucy Bennett recently completed a 140-hour marketing internship with us; here’s how it went…

My name is Lucy Bennett and I have had the privilege of completing a marketing internship at TBL Services for the past two months, through the European Regional Development Fund with the Lancaster Environment Centre. Of course, I’m sad that it’s ending, but I have learnt so many things during this experience which I will carry forward into my future career.  

 I am a currently completing an MA in Media and Cultural Studies, and my undergraduate degree is in English Literature, so it’s obvious I don’t come from an environmental or business background! However, I decided to apply for the internship because of my interest in sustainability, which has probably developed from my love for animals and nature since I was a child growing up in south Cumbria, with the Lake District to the east and the coast to the west. In my postgraduate studies, we have covered issues such as global inequality due to consumer society and environmental injustice, which has further developed my interest in tackling these problems. So, I was delighted when I found out that I secured the internship back in March. Having the chance to work with a company that puts sustainability at the forefront through tangible efforts to help other businesses was exciting for me on a professional and personal level.  

Despite my lack of industry knowledge, I never felt out of my depth at TBL, especially with all of the friendly team encouraging and helping me. I felt as if my existing writing and marketing skills were put to good use, as I was able to promote and explain some confusing (but very important) topics and terms in an engaging manner across their social media platforms. This hopefully brought their vital services to the consciousness of many people.   

I also had the opportunity to write last month’s blog post about the Environment Analyst awards, in which TBL has been shortlisted, a testament to their amazing work. It was fascinating to learn about the initiatives that TBL has championed, especially their partnership with Support the Goals and their 4-day week, which I hope to see implemented in many more businesses in the future.  

Moreover, during my experience, I learnt so much about business sustainability, including the function and implementation of the SDGs, recent environmental and political news and a plethora of acronyms. I loved taking part in learning and development sessions where I had the opportunity to learn about green finance, risk assessments, the SDGs and how Support the Goals functions from experts in the field. I also really enjoyed working in the TBL office in the Gordon Manley building at the Lancaster University campus and hearing about the fantastic things TBL is doing and achieving in person (and eating sweet treats, of course).  

Before this internship, I had no idea that CDP, managing supply chains and carbon measuring were so important for businesses. I have a new appreciation of the things that a business can do to improve its environmental and social impact, and of the huge amount of effort that goes on within sustainability consulting. As well as learning so much about business sustainability, I have further developed my marketing knowledge and skillset, particularly on LinkedIn, and brushed up on my graphic design skills, things which will benefit me significantly as I aim for a career in marketing.  

I would like to extend my thanks to TBL’s fantastic Marketing Working Group for helping me throughout my internship to develop my ideas, even when you were so busy with other things, and to other members of the team who were always willing to answer my questions and provide feedback. Also, to Ian Wright for his encouragement and helpful feedback throughout my application for the internship.  

I hope I cross paths with TBL again in the future. From a short 140-hour internship, it feels like a fantastic place to work that is making a real impact.