Internship scheme opens doors for graduates

North East firms are being encouraged to take advantage of a scheme which offers a low-cost solution to hiring new recruits.

A Graduate Internship programme, run by Northumbria University, allows SMEs to hire graduates at a fraction of the normal cost.

The scheme offers Northumbria graduates who have been unemployed or under-employed since graduation last year a paid ten-week placement doing graduate level work with a North East employer. This provides them with key skills and experience to boost their overall employability and can lead to a permanent role.

Graduate Tom Bailey secured an internship in a similar scheme two years ago with local property consultancy IAM SOLD. He was given varied, high-level experience on the placement from valuations to sale negotiations. He was offered a permanent position and is now an Associate Director at the firm which now operates on a national basis.

He said: “The internship was a fantastic opportunity for me to showcase my skills and gave me a chance to apply the theory of what I’d learned at University. Prior to joining IAM SOLD, I was working in a call centre which wasn’t what I wanted to do. The Graduate Internship literally turned my career around. I am now running my own department within the business and have other graduates working within my team.”

Jamie Cooke, Director of IAM SOLD, who is also a Northumbria University graduate, said: “The Graduate Internship scheme has brought real benefits to our company. We’re really pleased with Tom’s achievements since he started working for us. This allowed for a quicker expansion in a competitive market place and we now rank in the top five of UK residential auction providers and have also taken on a number of graduates from the University since Tom.”

Ann Smart, Head of the Careers and Employment Service at Northumbria University, added:

“Northumbria graduates have a great mix of skills and potential to offer businesses and graduate internships are cost effective method for employers to experience the benefits of recruiting a recent graduate. It’s also an excellent way for graduates to gain valuable work experience and, as has been demonstrated by Tom, perhaps gain longer term graduate employment. Especially in the current climate, it’s a scheme that offers huge potential for both graduates and employers.”

Anyone wanting more information on the scheme is asked to contact Julia Bennett or Hilary Dawson on 0191 227 4689 or email sv.employers@northumbria.ac.uk