Find out about Reuben Batalha - BSc (Hons) Creative Media Technology student on placement as E-Commerce Intern at Avanti West Coast
Tell us about you and your current placement role
I’m Reuben a BSc (Hons) Creative Media Technologies student and an aspiring UX/UI Designer. I’m currently in my placement year as an E-Commerce Intern at Avanti West Coast.
Who are Avanti West Coast?
Avanti West Coast is a train operating company that began operating in 2019, after taking over from Virgin Trains. It serves the West Coast Main Line connecting London to major UK cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow to name a few.
What is the E-Commerce Intern role like?
As an E-Commerce intern, I work primarily on our website - which can include a variety of tasks. My daily responsibilities include making tickets available to purchase online and on our app, as well as updating timetables and travel information for our customers. Our team also works closely with external agencies to create content, optimise and improve our website’s experience.
We work closely with our SEO agency with creating and uploading blog pages and travel recommendations - I’ve recently put some of our April blogs live.
What opportunities/projects have you been working on so far?
I have the opportunity to work closely with our UX designer and have been able to gain insight into creating clear, responsive and user-friendly designs - whilst maintaining accessibility standards. Reporting from our user feedback platform is an important tool we use to implement changes. Working with our UX designer has been really valuable to me as this is a career path which I plan to take in the future.
I also work with our wider teams such as Testing, making sure that all our new and existing features work fully as expected, this ensures our digital channels are always improving providing the best user experience possible.
Reuben working on his April blog.
Highlight so far
I’ve had many brilliant experiences so far but one that stands out the most is attending a UX workshop at one of the agencies that we work with. I was able to comprehend the in-depth processes undertaken to create the best user experience and how impactful it is to understand how users interact with Avanti’s website.
What are you going to be working on in the future?
The future at Avanti is looking exciting with brand new, more sustainable, Bi-Mode trains to join our fleet. I’m sure that I’ll be working with our team on something that will allow us to showcase the impressive specs of our new trains.
"Share your Spark" sofa in the Avanti West Train office!
The view from Reuben's office!
Has your placement helped you to develop your skills and feel better prepared for your course?
I have learnt a lot in the past 9 months and I’m sure there’s still more to learn. Working with different departments and engaging with various stakeholders and key people such as peers and directors within the business, has allowed me to grow my communication skills and understand the importance of maintaining strong communication. I’ve been able to develop my HTML and CSS skills as I’m using them daily to create new web pages and graphics. My UX skills in prototyping in Figma have improved significantly, and I’ve learnt the significance of following design systems and brand guidelines. With the new development I have achieved so far whilst being here at Avanti, I am more confident, and feel better prepared to start the final year of my course!
What would you say to any student considering doing a placement?
I recommend to any student looking for a placement to start as early as possible. This will allow the placement search to be spread out, which will ease off the pressure. I would also suggest looking beyond the job title and reading the job description carefully. I found that many times the job titles may sound completely different to what you’re looking for, but the job description can match exactly what you’re interested in.
Lastly, don’t give up or lose hope! I secured my placement in July, which to many, might be considered late, so you have time - but if you don’t find a year-long placement, keep looking for opportunities during the summer or Easter breaks.