Project Intern Review

I was selected to join the 2025 Aberdeen Tall Ships Races team as part of the University of Aberdeen’s ABDN Internship Development Programme.
I assisted the Senior Project Officer and Project Officers with the planning and implementation of the event. As well as this I created a Handbook for all Sail Trainees participating in the races from Dunkirk to Aberdeen, and Aberdeen to Kristiansand. I also supported day-to-day operations and responded to internal correspondence and kept records of queries.

Yes. This event was returning for the first time in 30 years and so a lot of work was required to make sure we met our deadlines and this required a lot of international collaboration between different countries' vessels and Sail Training International as well as local businesses. My main task was to create a handbook for all Sail Trainees (around 200) who would be attending the event and sailing to Scotland from Dunkirk or from Aberdeen to Kristiansand in Norway. My role was very responsible as I had to ensure that the correct travel arrangements such as flight times, and coach journeys were recorded in the handbook. As well as this, I included a section with FAQs and fun activities for the young people to do whilst they were at sea, as the journey could be as long as 5 days without wifi or access to technology. This was a very rewarding experience as I was able to contribute meaningfully to a project that has had such a great impact on the city and generated an extra £2,000,000 for the city, local businesses and the community.

Through this opportunity I was able to develop my project management skills and improve my understanding of not only the events industry but also how the local council operates. Through this internship I also had the fantastic opportunity to attend an Association for Project Managment event where I learned more about the breadth of the industry and how my skills from university can be applied to a professional workplace setting.

I had weekly check ins and one-to-ones with my line manager and also regularly had group calls scheduled with the rest of the team to see what issues I might be having at the minute and what can be done to help solve them.

It was really positive. As it was for a once in a generation event everyone wanted to make it as impactful as possible and the team was full of energy. It was a really good team to be a part of as it not only allowed me to play a part in such a big event for my area but it also let me see what international collaboration can look like when over 50 tall ships from more than 10 countries meet in the same port!

I really enjoyed my internship as it allowed me to gain experience in a work setting whilst studying and completing my univiersity assignments. The team were really accomodating and worked around my timetabled classes, this made it a lot easier for planning my weeks and identifying what I needed to focus on. It was great to return to see the team and help out on the days of the event to see my handbook in person printed and to engage with all the international visitors from around the world.

Yes