Hi, I’m Leah, a student at Queen Margaret University, currently in my fourth year of study on the PR and Marketing undergraduate course. In August 2025, I completed a four- week placement with the Scottish Government, working alongside their internal communications and events team, an opportunity I was excited (and a little nervous) to take on.
I’d never worked in a professional environment like this before, so stepping into government communications felt like a big leap. But I was keen to challenge myself, gain real experience beyond the classroom, and see how the skills I’ve been building throughout my course translate into the workplace. This placement showed me how much I’ve grown - and how much more there is to learn!
I’ve always had an interest in event planning - I love organising projects behind- the- scenes and the rewarding feeling when everything comes together. This placement really reinforced this, as it showed me how powerful well-planned events can be in bringing people and ideas together. During my four weeks with the internal communications and events team, I had the chance to get involved in a variety of exciting projects that helped me build real confidence in my communication and planning skills.
One of the highlights was supporting the ‘In the Service of Scotland’ events alongside the media and broadcasting team. These are a series of internal events that take place yearly within the Scottish Government, and are designed to engage, inspire, and motivate colleagues. It was really interesting getting to see how this all worked, and it allowed me to recognise the importance of collaboration and communication across teams.
During my time I helped capture behind- the- scenes content and worked with colleagues to ensure the events ran smoothly. This required strong communication and adaptability, as well as an understanding of how behind- the- scenes content can humanise an event and enhance audience engagement. I also wrote a ‘Spotlight feature article’ for the intranet to showcase some of the work taking place and allow colleagues an exciting preview of what the event programme would look like. This involved conducting research, adapting my writing style to suit the target audience, and producing content that was both informative and engaging. This task gave me a real sense of pride when I saw it published for staff across the organisation to read.
Another standout moment was travelling to the Glasgow office to take part in a spot networking session with the permanent secretary and senior members of staff. It was an amazing insight into the leadership of the Scottish Government and helped me feel even more connected to the work being done across the organisation, and the Scottish Government values of, integrity, kindness, innovation, collaboration, and inclusion.
Throughout my placement I felt trusted to contribute and encouraged to step outside my comfort zone. Each experience helped me grow both personally, and professionally and I feel grateful for the continuous support I was given by Kate, Megan, Donald, and the wider internal communications team.
