UWTSD Student Explores Sustainability on the Global Stage

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) student Luca Burgess has returned from an inspiring month-long internship in Barcelona, where he gained hands-on experience in environmental sustainability and international collaboration.

Luca, is currently studying Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change at UWTSD Swansea. After spending part of his childhood in Rome, he returned to the UK and chose to study at UWTSD, because of its specialist environmental programme, one of few of its kind in the UK. He said: 

“When I first applied to UWTSD, I wasn’t aware of the international mobility opportunities. I chose my course because I’m passionate about the environment and sustainability, and I wanted to build specialist knowledge that would help me in my career after graduation. The internship abroad has far exceeded my expectations in every way.”

During August, he undertook an internship at Sustainability Worldwide Centre 2050 (SWC 2050), an environmental consultancy based in Barcelona. There, he contributed to the development of ‘VSME Academia’, a new course designed to help professionals produce sustainability reports in line with the European Commission’s EFRAG VSME standards for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Luca’s work focused on research and scriptwriting for educational modules,  an experience that helped him develop new professional and communication skills.

“The main thing I learned from this work was how to write engaging educational scripts and how to work remotely, which I hadn’t done before.” he said.

Beyond professional development, Luca described his time abroad as a truly transformative experience. 

“The biggest highlight was all the people I met. I met people from all over the world. There were interns from America, Mexico, Italy and the UK. I love meeting new people and learning about their experiences. The other highlight was the city itself. Barcelona is a bustling, thriving city with so many activities to do and things to see. Being there a month really didn’t do it justice in terms of exploring the city fully and experiencing what it had to offer.”

As Luca reflects back on his time at Barcelona, he would encourage others to apply to get the same experience as him.

“I would highly recommend this experience to other students as it was an amazing experience. I met so many new people, gained work experience in the field I want to pursue post graduating and have a reference letter signed by my company supervisor, which I can show to future potential employers. Also, the university funded 2/3 of the trip costs which was a massive help, I wouldn’t have been able to afford it otherwise.” 

Kath Griffiths, International Regional Manager North America and Outward Mobility said: 

“At UWTSD, employability is central to everything we do. Through our Taith programme, we have been able to offer global internships with the support of Absolute Internships. This summer, we had the pleasure of meeting Luca during his internship in Barcelona. It’s always inspiring to hear firsthand about the impact that international internships have on our students.”

Luca says that this experience has developed him as an individual. 

“This internation experience has helped me professionally by giving me contacts in the environmental sector, with the potential of working for the company I interned for in the future. My LinkedIn profile has grown massively thanks to it too, through me connecting with colleagues and other interns. It also helped me personally as I made new friends while I was abroad, with some of them living in the UK. I naturally developed my social and interpersonal skills through interacting with so many people in different types of social situations.”

After graduating in the summer, Luca hopes to travel to Rome as an intern at FAO headquarters.  

“I really admire the work FAO does. I speak Italian which will help in settling in the capital. I think when applying for the FAO internship, my internship abroad will make me stand out from other applicants as it will show that I have experience in the field and have the initiative to work abroad.

Further Information

Lowri Thomas

Principal Communications and PR Officer     
Corporate Communications and PR     
Email: lowri.thomas@uwtsd.ac.uk     
Phone: 07449 998476