During placement Conor worked mainly with the fundraising team and became involved in two major projects. One of these was associated with the Belfast City Marathon as Concern Worldwide had been chosen as one of the two sponsored charities for this event. Conor’s task was the preparation and distribution of hundreds of official ‘Welcome Packs’ to applicants intending to complete the marathon and willing to seek sponsorship on behalf of Concern Worldwide. At the same time, Concern Worldwide was also preparing for a nationwide street collection at all Dunnes stores venues, in aid of the earthquake devastation in Haiti. Each of these projects required much organisation and forward planning, with good team work being essential to their effective and successful outcome.

In the case of the Belfast Marathon one of the main challenges set for Conor was to use spreadsheet and database facilities to record applicant mailing details and more importantly, to manage the return of sponsorship forms and monies from those participants who successfully completed the marathon.

Duties also involved Conor in assisting with the coordination of the Dunnes Stores Street Collection. There was a need to create a volunteer timetable relevant to the opening hours of each participating branch of Dunnes Stores. Formal application had to be made to the PSNI to secure permission for the collection to take place. Distribution of the official donation boxes had to be coordinated and Concern Worldwide identification tags had to be issued to each of the volunteer collectors.

Concern Worldwide hosted many students over the years and involved them in general duties, such as assisting in the planning and implementation of marketing activities for campaigns and events. Students were frequently asked to carry out reviews of the particular projects and events they became associated with. These review reports, along with their recommendations, were used to inform future events. Placement students also supported the Concern Worldwide annual schools writing competition and took responsibility for the coordination of the annual Concern Worldwide schools cinema day event.

Other major projects included students working on the Public Education project which resulted in the Maternal and Newborn Health mural at the Craigavon Area Hospital. They were also involved in the ‘Walk for Water’ fundraising event.

"Placement for me was a great learning experience, not only from the point of view of learning more about the work remit of Concern Worldwide, but also the opportunity given to learn more about myself and my ability to manage my time effectively. My role with the organisation centred around two main projects which engaged me in a regular mode of multi-tasking in order to meet set deadlines. This experience helped me to identify several strengths that I didn’t even realise I had and while, at times, I considered I fell short on the number of tasks completed in a given time, the positive feedback from my supervisors highlighted the reality, that my feeling of being challenged, was simply the norm in a busy work environment. The fact that the staff at Concern Worldwide had more trust in me than I had in myself, and allowed me to 'learn by doing', and to gain plenty of 'hands on experience', boosted my confidence and left me with a more authentic view of the demands of the workplace."

While on placement, Conor compiled a Work Related Learning Portfolio for assessment purposes. In his Personal Reflection, learning outcomes were identified and explained in the context of tasks completed. He also completed a study paper on the Climate Change Policy supported by Concern Worldwide. This investigation indicated that the consequences of environmental change is clearly integral to their work in the developing countries worst affected by climate change. The strategies put in place to ensure that these ‘most in need’ countries are provided with the resources to help them cope were also examined and assessed by Conor.

Conor is currently working in a branch of one of the UK’s largest general goods retailers, gaining experience of both their High Street operation and also in their online services. Meanwhile, Conor is keeping his options open, including consideration of a suitable graduate scheme with one of the retail corporates that operate in Northern Ireland.