Accounting Intern Belle Hyett

I completed my summer internship with the Accounting and Reporting department, located in Chipping Sodbury, in 2023. I enjoyed my time with Heidelberg Materials so much that I decided to come back in 2024 to complete my placement year of university, again with the Accounting and Reporting team.

Studying Accounting and Finance at university has allowed me to build my technical knowledge of the field but I was eager to develop my practical skills and gain some experience in the industry. When looking for internships it was important to me that I would be in an environment where I felt comfortable asking questions and felt like a valued member of the team. The culture of Heidelberg Materials has been perfect for me as I have been able to ask for as much help as I’ve need, which has enabled me to learn as much as possible in quite a short space of time. The team has been incredibly supportive of my eagerness to learn, and I have been given the opportunity to work within both the Management Accounting and Financial Accounting teams. This flexibility has allowed me to gain much more experience than most would typically get from an internship/placement scheme.

One thing that I really appreciated about my internship is that I was given a lot of responsibility. Knowing that I was trusted with important tasks massively improved my confidence and I enjoyed getting to use my initiative and problem-solving skills while also knowing that support has always been available if I need it. Even as an intern, I was given the opportunity to help out with tasks over month end, but I have never felt out of my depth. I have been able to ask as many questions as I’ve needed and they have never made me feel silly for needing concepts/procedures explained to me.

When I returned to university after completing my internship it was clear that my experience had helped me significantly with the content of my degree. I found it much easier to understand concepts covered in lectures after seeing how they actually work in the real world, and this was reflected in my grades. In addition to this, my time with Heidelberg Materials helped me develop more practical skills such as working with Excel and communicating in a professional manner. Having only ever worked in retail, I felt that it was important for me to get some experience in a corporate environment. Working with people of all ages, with varied paths into the industry has given me lots of role models to ask advice from and allowed me to start thinking about what steps I would like to take in my own career.

Now that I have started my placement year, I have experienced a second induction process. The team has been very welcoming and very friendly, which has made it easy for me to reintegrate. They have been very effective in managing my workload and ensuring that I am not overloaded with information and responsibility, but also ensuring that I am making the most out of my time here and I have enough work to keep me busy. One of my favourite features of the company is the management style because there is so much emphasis on development and progression.

I recently got to attend my second graduate intern engagement day, hosted in Maidenhead by senior members of the HR team. I really appreciate the opportunity to network with other interns and learn about the roles they perform within the company, and it was very insightful to see the kinds of roles that members of the graduate scheme perform, as well as the support they receive in their development. At these engagement days I have been able to discuss my aspirations for the future and I’ve been able to see what my potential future opportunities within the company might look like. These events have also been a unique opportunity to hear from and speak to senior members of staff such as managing directors and even the CEO. It was lovely to see how enthusiastic everyone is about the internship scheme and young talent in the company.

My main goal for my placement is to be a helpful and useful member of the team so I can have a successful and productive year. I would also like to further develop my technical knowledge and practical skills so I can go into my final year of university feeling confident in my abilities. Heidelberg Materials have already had a massive part to play in my professional development and career progression, as by the end of my placement year I will have completed 16 of the 36 months working in the industry required to become a chartered accountant. The graduate scheme that Heidelberg Materials offers is extremely attractive so I would like to explore this opportunity, and hopefully return as a finance graduate with the company when I complete my degree.